Canadian Ambassador's Husband
by Cathy9
Summary: Sam and Mara's lives after the Bartlet Administration.
1. Last Day

January 20 2009 

John Hoynes' Inauguration

Only two hours remained in President Josiah Bartlet's term in office and he was actually looking forward to having some time off to dedicate to his wife. Abbey has suffered through the last 8 years so he felt the least he could do was give her 8 weeks of his undivided attention. He looked over at the staffers who had become his extended family and smiled. CJ was picking imaginary lint off of Toby's suit jacket while Donna was straightening Josh's tie. Sam was talking to Bonnie while Mara rested her head on his shoulder. He thought that she looked tired and distracted and wondered what was bothering her. When Bonnie got up, Jed took her place.

"It's a very good inaugural speech Sam. Everyone who hears it will know you wrote it. It's almost as good as the ones you wrote for me."

"Thanks Sir, I couldn't let this speech be better than yours."

Jed smiled warmly at Sam. "Mara, you don't look too good."

"I'm just tired Jed. I didn't sleep very well last night."

"Where did Jenna disappear too?"

"I have no idea. Sam?"

"She was hungry and went to see if she could round up something in the mess."

"So everything is being moved back to the farm house?"

"Yes. Our truck is scheduled to leave at noon and John's truck is scheduled to arrive at 12:01."

"Taking anything good home?" Mara asked.

"Just the Lincoln bed." Jed teased.

"So you're headlining at Chuckles Comedy club next week?" Mara replied dryly.

"Has she been in this mood all day Sam?"

"Yeah."

"My condolences. Snap out of it Mara, you have your husband to yourself now."

"You're taking Abbey away from me."

"Mara, you are going to your beach house in two days for three weeks, then you are coming to Manchester. You make it sound like I'm kidnapping my wife."

"It's just her separation anxiety kicking in. She'll be fine with it after a day on the beach."

"Since I don't seem to be needed here for this conversation, I'm going to find Jenna."

"Sam, what's up?"

"She's just in a mood. I try to ignore her when she's like this."

"You've got more patience than I do Sam."

Sam smiled, "She's more than worth all the crap I have to take. The sex alone is worth it."

The words had no sooner left Sam's mouth when he felt a swift smack upside the head."

"I heard that Samuel and consider yourself lucky that your wife didn't." CJ replied with a grin.

Josh started laughing which prompted Donna to slap him too. Toby chuckled very quietly to himself less he suffer the same fate. Mara returned with Jenna a few minutes later. Abbey arrived and brought Mara up to the solarium.

"So how are you feeling Sweetie?"

"I'm moody today, I've been a beast to Sam and I was pretty rude to your husband. I'm also really tired."

"It's your hormones and did you sleep last night?"

"Not really."

"That's why you are tired and you are always cranky when you are tired. You should go home and have a nap before the balls. What are you wearing?"

"A nap is a good idea. Sam and Josh want me to wear the tanzanite organza dress. They like the cleavage factor. Josh was stupid enough to say he liked it cause my breasts looked good in it. Donna didn't exactly take it well."

Abbey chuckled, "That boy will never learn. As Lord John Marbury would say, you're breasts look magnificent."

"Did you have to mention that pompous ass. I'm so glad he's' no longer the British Ambassador. I hated him and his boorish attitude."

"Mara, the number of Ambassadors you actually like, I can count on one hand. Are you still flying straight from Anguilla to Manchester?"

"Yes, you have to promise to visit me for a week every month."

"That won't be hard. Did Dr. Phelps mention anything to you about slowing down?"

"No why?"

"Well often when a woman has difficulty carrying to term, total bed rest is recommended around month five or six. Dr. Phelps knows that ordering that for you would only increase your stress level. However, cutting down on your work load would be beneficial. If you could handle doing two half days of work a week it would probably help you, sweetie."

"Really? My next appointment is tomorrow then I guess the next is when I get back from vacation."

"Don't be surprised if she mentions it and be prepared to go down to all half days around month seven."

"Wouldn't trying to get everything done in a limited amount of time stress me out further?"

"No, you'll be able to do it. I know you don't want to hear this Mara, but I have a good feeling about this pregnancy."

Mara was too tired to roll her eyes so she just looked at Abbey and yawned. Abbey leaned over and gave her a hug before suggesting a cup of coffee. Mara drank it quickly so she didn't have to smell the aroma that her husband loved so much. Fifty minutes before the inauguration the chief usher knocked on the door to let Abbey know that Suzanne Hoynes has finally arrived.

"I'm going to give Suzanne the tour, you want to join us? You know more about the third floor than I do." Abbey stated with a grin.

"Sure, I like Suzanne."

"I'm happy to hear that Mara. Good morning Abbey."

"Suzzanne, there is still enough time to escape the city before John is sworn in."

"Don't think that thought hasn't run through my mind numerous times since November. Mara you look tired."

"I am tired. I promise not to yawn during John's speech."

"I bet you know it by heart. You can serve as prompter if the TelePrompter goes down. Sam really is an incredibly talented writer."

"Thanks you, he's my favourite author. Abbey, why don't we start on the third floor and work our way back down here."

With twenty minutes to go Mara, Abbey and Suzanne arrived at the Oval office. Mara gave John a kiss on the cheek, wished him well and made her escape. Jenna announced that she wanted to ride with Josh and Donna. She waved at Sam and Mara and was out the door. Mara really didn't feel like going to the inauguration but she needed a good excuse that would stop Sam from convincing her they had to go. She knew what would work but she was not giving him the satisfaction. She stood up too quickly and actually felt a little faint so she sat back down again.

"Mara?"

"Just got up too fast, give me a minute."

"Why don't I get you a glass of water."

"Save it, I think the coffee Abbey made me drink isn't agreeing with me. Let me go toss my cookies and I'll feel better."

"You know it doesn't' taste any better coming up than going down." Mara remarked as she returned to Sam's office.

"Thanks for the gross visual dear."

Mara glanced at her watch. "I guess there is no sense in leaving now. By the time we get there it will be over."

Sam turned the TV on while Mara popped a few cinnamon Altoids into her mouth. Donna had moved Toby's couch into her new office and Sam joined her on it to watch Hoynes being sworn in. When the station cut to a commercial Mara got up and locked the door. Sam looked at her when he heard the click of the lock. His wife smiled saucily at him and pulled off her warm red chenille sweater exposing her bare breasts.

"No bra?"

"No the girls were a little tender this morning."

"Well I guess I'll have to be really gentle then." Sam replied softly as his hands began to caress her body.

Forty minutes later Mara was pulling her sweater over her head and pulling up the zipper of her leather pants. She looked over at Sam who was still reclined on the couch enjoying the after glow. A wicked grin spread across his face and Mara bit her lip to prevent herself from saying something first.

"I finally won, I told you I would have you in my office and I succeeded."

Mara rolled her eyes and tossed his clothes at him. "I hate to break it to you Spanky but you didn't win. When I locked the door, this was no longer your office. It's Donna's. So sorry Charlie, but you didn't succeed. You can tell Donna you had me in her office if you must."

Mara could see Sam's mind digest the information and laughed when it finally dawned on him that he'd been had.

"You evil wench, you had this all planned out didn't you!"

"No, but after I threw up I felt better and sitting on the couch reminded me there was one. I figured I know how to kill some time. I was about to initiate but then I knew you'd have that grin on your face so I waited until it was no longer your office. Darling I love you, but haven't' all these years of marriage taught you that there is no winning against me?"

Sam didn't answer her and got dressed quickly. He peaked out from behind the blinds and was happy that no one seemed to be milling about. His cell phone rang and Mara grabbed it.

"Hello."

"Aunty Mar, where are you? "

"Hi Jenna, I had a cup of coffee and it didn't agree with me. By the time I felt better it was too late to make it on time. We watched it, I didn't see you."

"That's good or the two empty seats would have been very obvious. How many balls do I get to go to?"

"A few. Sam and I are heading home for a nap. I suggest you join us or you'll be falling asleep before midnight. I plan on leaving the house at seven so you have to be dressed and ready by then."

"K, Josh is going to take Donna and I for pizza, then I'll be home. See ya."

"See ya sweetie."

"Jenna is going for lunch then will meet us at home. For crying out loud, get over yourself Sam!"

"You know I'd really be in a snit if I didn't get sex."

"Sam, you got sex, that's all you really care about in the end. Now say good bye to Donna's office and let's go home."

"You so aren't getting sex tonight Mara."

"Yeah, like I believe that. One look at me in my dress and you'll want to skip the balls to have sex.. I'm going to the bathroom. Meet me at the door."

"I don't care what she says, this office is mine until I leave it." Sam muttered. He checked to make sure everything was in order and that he hadn't left anything behind. He flicked the TV off and left a quick welcome note on the desk for Donna.

When Mara swept down the stairs a few minutes after seven, Sam almost had to pick his jaw up off the floor. The dress clung to her curves and while the dress normally displayed her cleavage her breasts seemed to be even more prominent. Sam hadn't said anything earlier but he was sure she'd gone up a cup size or two already.

Mara grinned wickedly , "Now aren't you sorry you used the withholding card so frivolously?"

"Oh I so take it back baby."

"That's nice but I'm not in the mood. In fact I don't think I'll be in the mood for several days. Jenna!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

Mara smiled at Jenna who was wearing an ice blue A-line gown with a pair of matching kitten heel shoes. Mara took one look at all her jewels Jenna was wearing and took them all off her.

"You said I could wear your jewelry."

"I didn't tell you to put it all on. Tease Sam while I put a look together for you."

Mara came down five minutes later with her silver and aquamarine flower bracelet, a platinum necklace with three aquamarine bezel set stones and the matching earrings.

"Jenna you always want to go for understated elegance. You look very pretty."

"Thank you, You look amazing too."

"You both look great, now move it we are already fifteen minutes late."

"Sam, I'm never late. Everyone else is just early."

"Move it!"

The threesome walked into the California Ball being held at the Sheraton at the same time as John and Suzanna Hoynes. Mara and Sam hung back but Jenna didn't notice and continued walking telling Suzanna that she really liked her navy blue gown. When the President was announced he quickly turned and asked Jenna to dance. She wasn't prepared for all the flash bulbs and lights pointed at her but John joked with her and she enjoyed her first dance. Sam cut in, giving John the chance to dance with his wife.

Five hours later Mara and Sam were ready to call it a night while Jenna had just caught her second wind. They left her with Josh and Donna and headed home. Mara had fallen asleep the second her head hit the pillow while Sam stayed awake waiting for Jenna to come in. A little after two Sam heard the alarm activated and slipped out of bed. He turned on the hall light so he wouldn't startle her and sat on the edge of her bed.

"So how were the balls Cinderella?"

"Absolutely fabulous, I danced until I couldn't dance anymore. Josh taught me how to do the hustle and Toby taught me how to tango. Don't tell Josh , but I preferred the tango. Mar asleep?"

"Yes, she was out the second her head hit the pillow. Let me unzip you then off to bed. Our guests are showing up at ten for brunch."

Sam brought the zipper of her dress down, gave her a kiss on the forehead and walked out, closing the door behind him. He just managed to get back in bed when Mara turned and cuddled up to him. Neither of them wanted to move when the alarm went off at nine. It dawned on Sam that for the first time in 15 years he didn't have to go to work on a Monday morning. He savored the feeling for a few minutes before going for a shower. When he came back out Mara was still asleep and back in dreamland. He shook his head letting the water droplets wake her up.

"What ever happened to waking me up with tender kisses?" She grumbled as she stretched.

"Mara, our guests are arriving in twenty five minutes. Are we not feeding them?"

"Most of the food is prepared already, I planned on sleeping in this morning." She crawled out of bed, threw on a pair of jeans and a stripped shirt. She padded downstairs barefoot and found Jenna in the kitchen drinking a mug of coffee.

"Morning, so did you have a ball at the balls?"

"They were great. It's too bad they only happen every four years. I put two loaves of banana bread in the oven. They'll be done at ten. Do you need anything else done?"

"My list is next to the fridge. You can pop the quiches into the broiler rack to warm them up. I'm going to fill the pitchers with juice and then you can make another pot of coffee once I leave."

"I love the smell of coffee in the morning. Has it always made you queasy?"

"Always, now let's get to work."

Brunch ended up being a six hour event and everyone agreed that time went by too quickly. Mara didn't want to let Toby out the door so he agreed to drive them to the airport the next morning. After Mara had kissed Toby one last time and dashed up the stairs to the plane Sam pulled out a dollar bill and handed it to his former boss.

"If this is my tip Sam, I'm disgusted."

"No, it's your retainer."

"My retainer for what?"

"Seaborn for President."

"Geez Sam, it only took you three years to vocalize that."

"Are you accepting or not?"

"Of course, who else can you count on to not blow sunshine up your ass. Have fun with your wife."

"Oh, I will."


	2. Back at GW

June 2009 

"Sam and Mara if you don't want to know the sex of your baby it's time to close your eyes." Dr. Phelps announced as she finished up her ultra sound. 

Mara looked down at her hands and Sam turned around to face the door. Even though they had safely made it to seven months pregnant Mara was still prepared for the worst. As the months wore on, Sam's enthusiasm started to grate on her nerves and she'd spent the entire drive to the doctors office yelling at him. Once Dr. Phelps gave them the all clear he turned around and kissed his wife's neck. It amazed him that Mara was a full seven months pregnant and barely looked like she was four months pregnant. Unless you caught her in profile you'd never guess she was pregnant at all. Mara slid off the exam table and stepped on to the scale hoping she'd gained some weight since her visit three weeks earlier. 

"Geez Mara, you are certainly porking out this month. You've gained 2.4 pounds." Dr. Phelps teased. 

"So I've gained 14.8 pounds so far." 

"Yes which isn't exactly ideal. You're still eating properly?" 

"I'm eating properly plus I've been pigging out on crap lately. I'm averaging 4 Beavertails, 4 French Mint bars and a pint of ice cream a day. I ate 3 pints of blueberries last night." 

"She's eating dairy like it's going out of style. We are going through four bricks of cheddar cheese a week." 

"Dairy is good but I want you to eat more protein. I want two scrambled eggs a day and four extra ounces of red meat or chicken. The peak of weight gain is usually week 33 Mara. That's two weeks away. If you can give me 4 extra pounds by then I won't be quite so worried." 

"Well at least I'm not losing weight anymore!" 

"That's true, you were freaking the hell out of me." 

"You did a good job remaining calm then." 

"Of all my patients Mara, you are the one I try the hardest not to spook. Other than the low weight gain, you are having a near textbook perfect pregnancy." 

"She's not going to believe the baby is fine until it's born." Sam sighed wishing Mara would allow herself to be a tiny bit excited. 

She didn't want to think about baby names. She refused to decorate a baby's room. She wouldn't even have a discussion about God parents. It was as if the only realm a baby existed in Mara's mind was during visits to Dr. Phelps. It was driving Sam nuts and he didn't think he should have to gush to Ainsley, Ginger or CJ. He wanted to share the joy and anticipation with his wife but she refused to let him. 

"You can put your shoes back on Mara. I'll see you in two weeks. Gail's already made the appointment. Go ahead Sam, say it." She laughed. 

"That's one smart gold fish CJ has. She even takes appointments." 

Mara rolled her eyes, she was tired of Sam's little joke the first time she heard it, three years ago. 

She was looking forward to her trip to Ottawa in the morning. She's have four days of silence and no one to grate on her nerves. Dani was currently in Anguilla so she'd have her house to herself. Even Cheryl would be gone for the first two days of her visit. 

Mara felt like she could finally relax when Sam and Jenna were left on the other side of the plane door at Andrews. She slept the entire way to Ottawa and kicked back and read for two hours when she reached her house. She had a two o'clock meeting with the Prime Minister and was looking forward to being back in her old stomping grounds. 

A day later Sam hung up the phone and poked his head into Jenna's room. 

"You almost done your school work?" 

"I've been done for an hour. I'm downloading music." 

"Toby wants to know if you want to go to a Yankees game tonight?" 

"Really? I'd love to." 

"I thought you'd say that. The jet is waiting for us, grab a jacket and your purse and let's go." 

Jenna grabbed her backpack and tossed a few essentials inside. She hadn't seen Toby in nearly two months and she was looking forward to seeing him. She hoped that he'd let her edit the latest chapters of his book. He had left her in the opening months of the first Bartlet for America campaign just before Leo would fire everyone except Toby and rebuilt the team. 

Mandy convinced them to stay overnight so Jenna curled up with a cup of coffee and started editing while Sam and Toby watched CNN. The next morning Jenna convinced Sam she was done all her school work for the week and talked him into taking her to see the Cloisters instead. 

Sam took her to Tavern on the Green for dinner and they joined Toby and Mandy for dessert back at their condo. 

Jenna had convinced Sam to go up to the Bay house for the weekend. He had a meeting at two at Georgetown and Jenna met him. They had an early dinner at Sal's and Jenna coaxed Sam across the street for a large twist ice cream. Jenna sat down in a swing in the park and started pushing herself once her cone was done. Sam had just finished telling her she was swinging too high when she lost her grip and caught her left arm on the chain as she fell. Sam heard a crack and a thud as he hopped off his swing and got down on the ground to attend to her. 

"Fuck it hurts." Jenna yelled, in too much pain to care about her language. 

"What hurts sweetie?" Sam asked as he noticed a trail of blood on the sand. 

"My arm.." 

"Don't touch it Jenna let me look." Sam followed the trail of blood and noticed it source was about two inched above her left wrist. He could see a jagged piece of bone sticking out. He knew he couldn't just press down to stop the blood. He whipped his shirt off and tore it into three strips. He turned the first one into a circle around the protruding bone and pressed down. When it seemed like he'd slowed the bleeding down, he asked their driver, who had left the car to see if they needed help to continue applying pressure. He wrapped one piece of shirt on each side to help keep pressure on and helped Jenna to her feet. Sam got into the car first so he could help stabilize Jenna's arm. As soon as he walked into the emergency ward at GW he was recognized and Jenna was taken right in to triage. 

Half an hour later a doctor walked out and greeted Sam. "Mr. Seaborn, I'm doctor Kaye. Your daughter has suffered a distal radius open fracture. To eliminate any chance of serious infection and to repair it properly we are going to have to do emergency surgery. She'll most likely need a small plate and pin insertion. The surgery should take about two hours and carries the normal risks of any surgery. I'll need you to sign a release." 

"Have you given her any thing for the pain?" 

"I'm afraid not. As soon as I saw the injury I knew we'd be heading to surgery and I did want anything to complicate anesthesia. She's chewing her way through a towel at the moment." 

"I want to see her. Bring whatever I need to sign and lets get her out of pain as soon as possible." 

Sam followed the doctor and sat down beside Jenna. 

"Sweetie you have to go right into surgery. I don't know if it will help any but those breathing..." 

"They don't work! I hee hee hee'd and ha ha ha'd and nothing. I felt like I should be asking for a epideral. The pain Sam..." 

"I know darling but as soon as I sign a damn piece of paper they can get you into an OR and put you under." 

A nurse handed Sam a clipboard and he scanned it quickly before scrawling his signature on in. 

"Say your good- byes." Doctor Kaye stated moments later. 

"Sweetie, I'll be right here waiting for you. You'll be fine. I love you." 

"I love you too Sam. Just in case tell Mar I love her too." 

"You can tell her yourself." Sam responded as he leaned over to give her a couple of kisses. 

When Jenna was wheeled out of sight Sam found his hands shaking uncontrollably. A nurse came along a few minutes later and held his wrists. 

"She's young and strong and Dr. Kaye is one of the best ortho's on staff. Take a few deep breaths and let it out slowly." 

Sam followed her instructions for a few minutes until she released his wrists. She brought him to a lounge outside of surgery and had him drink a glass of water. She left him a few minutes later when his colour looked better. He spotted the phone and dialed Mara's cell phone, only to get her message box. He called Leslie and asked her to get a hold of his wife. Leslie left him on hold while she tried several numbers. 

Mara was munching on an order of tzatziki with an old friend who was now a Member of parliament when his cell phone rang. 

"Stephanie?" 

"Yes she's with me now. OK I'll tell her." He hung up the phone. "Mara call your assistant immediately at work. You need my phone?" 

"No I've got mine. I wonder what the hell is going on?" She asked as she fished her cell phone out of her purse. 

She noticed she had a message but called Leslie first. "What's up? I trying to eat an early dinner." 

"Sam needs you, let me put you on conference. Go ahead Sam, I've got her." 

"Sam? What the hell?" 

"I'm at GW..." 

"What in God's name did you do to yourself this time!" 

"It's Jenna, she..." 

"Oh my God what's wrong!" 

"If you'd let me finish I could tell you. She fell and broke her arm. The bone broke through her skin. She's in surgery right now having it fixed." 

"I'm on my way home right now. I'll see you at GW." Mara hung up the phone and walked right out of the restaurant without even saying good bye. 

Sam tried to get her on her cell but she was calling her pilot to let him know they had to leave immediately. Once she was on the plane she called Abbey who did her best to reassure her adoptive daughter that Jenna would be fine. 

"Sweetie, do you want me?" 

"Yes please, I can have the plane stop in Manchester to pick you up, hold on a second. James says we can land in about forty minutes." 

"I'm on my way out the door then. In the mean time Mara, I want you to slowly drink a bottle of water and try you hardest to relax. This much stress isn't good for the baby. Keep telling yourself she'll be fine. I'll see you soon." 

Mara tried to relax and decided to open a bag of chips to occupy her mouth. She struggled to get the bag open and got so mad that the bag finally burst open spilling all over the floor. She looked down at the mess at her feet and started crying out of frustration more than anything else. She didn't even bother to wipe the tear stains off her face when the plane landed. Abbey took one look at Mara's face and the ground and chuckled 

"Was that your first bag of chips to be murdered?" 

"Murder, it was an explosive suicide if ever I saw one!" Mara exclaimed smiling for the first time in two hours. 

Abbey pulled her into her arms and held her until the plane had reached cruising altitude once more. 

Hospital 

Sam looked at the clock in the waiting room. Jenna had been in surgery for two hours and ten minutes. He heard his name being called and looked up to see Ginger. 

"How is she?" 

"She's still in surgery, they were putting in a plate and pins." 

"Ouch, what the heck did she do?" 

"She was trying to get airborne on a swing and she lost her grip and came crashing down on her arm. I heard the crack and then the sick thud of her body hitting the sand." 

"Sam, that's horrible. Can I get you anything besides a hug?" Ginger asked as she threw her arms around her boss. 

"Mara is on her way. She should be here really soon. How did you find out?" 

"Leslie called me. She knew I'd want to be here for you since Mara wasn't." 

"I hope the stress isn't going to hurt the baby." 

"Mara is tough Sam. Now if you had to call her to say Jenna was dead, I'd be really worried. She knew it was just a broken bone. " 

"That makes sense I guess." 

"Have you eaten anything?" 

"Yeah we had Sal's for dinner. We were going up to the Bay house when Jenna saw the ice cream truck and said she was buying. We ate our cones on the swings and then she decided to work the swing. I had just told her she was going too high when she fell off." 

"Why are they doing surgery?" 

"It was a compound fracture." 

"Damn that must have hurt like hell." 

"It did and they couldn't give her a pain killer because they knew she'd be on her way to the OR." 

"Sam, you've got blood on your hand and near you temple. Why don't you go wash them off. You don't want to freak Mara out when she sees you." 

"You're right. I'll be back in two minutes." 

Back on the plane 

"It never fails Abbey. I was as relaxed as I've been since Anguilla. All that tension in my shoulders was gone. I hardly recognized what it felt like to not be tense. Then wham, Sam calls and I'm back to the rock of Gibraltar. I didn't even say good bye to Pierre. I just ran out on him." 

"I'm sure he understood Mara. You can call him in a few days and apologize if you really feel it's necessary." 

Abbey made a phone call and sat back down beside Mara. "Sweetie, it was a distal radius open fracture. According to my contact they just started to close. She'll be out of surgery in twenty minutes tops. Her arm will be immobilized for a week in the hospital. Once they are sure there isn't going to be any infection, they'll put her in full arm cast for 5-7 weeks." 

"We are beginning our descent into Andrews. Please fasten your seat belts. We should be on the tarmac in ten minutes." 

Mara fastened her belt and sighed deeply. Abbey gave her an encouraging smile and held her hand. 

Dr. Kaye came out to tell Sam that they had a little more repair work to do then they thought which required the insertion of a second small plate and pins. She was currently in recovery and they were going to move her to room 512 once she was awake. Dr. Kaye told Sam it would probably be an hour before she was in her room so Sam decided to wait for Mara in the surgical waiting room. 

Abbey and Mara arrived twenty minutes later and headed straight up to the surgical floor. Mara walked right past the nurse on duty who gave chase. 

"Ma'am, you can't just..." 

Mara totally ignored her and pushed on the door to the waiting room. She smiled at Ginger and looked at Sam who had his head down. She couldn't resist the urge and smacked him upside the head. 

"What the hell did you let her fall for!" 

Sam stood up and turned around. "Like I could have stopped her! I told her she was swinging too high and wham she was on the ground!" 

"What the hell is she still doing in surgery!" 

"She's in recovery. I figured you'd come here first so I waited." 

"Remind me to never leave you alone with the baby." 

"Baby? What baby? I wasn't aware you knew we were having a baby!" Sam spat back as all his frustrations with his wife spilled out. 

"Hey, hey neutral corners there folks. Do I have to separate the two of you?" Abbey admonished. 

"What room is our daughter in?" Mara hissed. 

"512, I'll go up with you." Ginger stated giving Abbey her what the hell look. 

"Feel better now Sam? That was one of your brighter ideas, pissing off your wife when she's seven months pregnant. I can see how that will really help the situation." 

"Oh come on Abbey, you heard what she said!" 

"Sam, your wife has an excuse for her hormonal stupidity. What's yours?" 

"Are you coming up to the room?" Sam asked ignoring her. 

"Yes, I'd watch my attitude if I were you Sam. Unless you want to spend the next month on Josh's couch." 

Mara gave Sam an icy glare when he walked in the door. Jenna had just been wheeled in and she was sitting at the top right side of the bed. 

"Mar, I'm going to call Jed and let him know Jenna is out of surgery. I'm going to get you something to eat." 

"No chips!" Mara said with a smile then glared at Sam again. 

"So how is my little Samantha doing?" Mara asked Ginger. 

"Oh great, her new word of the week is down. If something doesn't meet with her approval she orders it down." 

"Is she still calling you mammy?" 

"Yeah, I think it's so cute." 

"Me too." 

"Her face still lights up when she sees Jenna. She calls her nenna now." 

"She's getting there. Soon she'll be telling you that she doesn't want to eat that baby food crap." 

Jenna chuckled softly and then coughed. "Mar?" 

"I'm here baby. How are you feeling?" 

"Like I just got run over by a Mack truck." 

"I bet. You scared the hell out of me young lady!" 

"I know, I'm sorry. It was a stupid thing to do." 

"You won't get an argument from me. Do you want anything?" 

"A chocolate milk would be good." 

Mara chuckled, "One water coming up." 

"Where's Sam?" 

"Right here sweetie." Sam replied as he moved to stand behind Mara. 

"Ginger?" 

"Yes Jenna?" 

"Just checking, I thought I heard your voice. Do you have a Worthers?" 

"Of course, do you want one?" 

"Of course." 

Abbey walked in to the room as Ginger popped the hard candy in to Jenna's mouth. 

"Hello Humpty Dumpty. How are you feeling?" 

"Like crap, I'm happy to see you though. So what did they do to me?" 

"You've got two plates and several pins in your arm You are going to be a good amount of pain for quite sometime." 

"The pain can't be as excruciating as when I broke it. I never want to feel pain that intense again." 

"Then I suggest you think before you decide to be a daredevil, Miss Thing." 

"Damn, I guess I won't be going to the zoo with you on Monday Ginger." 

"No, you'll be in here for a week Jenna." Abbey added. 

"A week? I'll go out of my mind. Can you bring me my computer in the morning?" 

"I'll think about it. Need I remind you that you only have the use of one hand?" 

"I'll deal. I hate hospitals." 

"Me too Jenna. Don't worry, Sam will keep you company tonight." 

"Oh will I?" Sam asked giving Jenna a smirk. 

"Yes. It's your turn to discover how comfortable this chair is to sleep in. By my count you owe me 8 nights." Mara replied with her I dare you to say something about it look. 

"She's got you there Sam. Mar would you go get me Eeyore?" 

"Of course my love. I'll go get Abbey settled and bring you back the essentials." 

"Jenna, I better get back to Samantha. I'll stop by and visit you tomorrow afternoon." 

"Thanks for coming Ginger." 

Ginger leaned over and left a soft kiss in the middle of her forehead. "Sweet dreams." 

Abbey stayed and talked with Jenna for twenty more minutes until Mara was ready to leave the room. Mara gave Jenna several kisses and promised she'd be right back. Jenna drifted off to sleep and Sam was left with nothing to do except stare at the bleak walls. 

Mara got Abbey settled in Jenna's room and packed up a few things she figured Jenna would want. She had completely forgotten about Eeyore until Abbey tossed him at her. 

"Somedays I'd forget my head if it wasn't attached. Speaking of heads, I wanted to rip Sam's off!" 

"I know, I'm proud of the way you handled yourself. I told him he better watch it or he'd spend the next month on Josh's couch." 

"I think that's the most mean spirited thing Sam has ever said to me." 

"It was harsh for Sam. He's coming from a place of great frustration though Mara." 

"Well the frustration is his own freaking fault. He bottles this crap up inside. He asks me if I want to set up a nursery and I say no. He asks if I want to create a lists of names and I say no. He drops it and I forget about it. I figure it can't be that important to him, if he's not willing to fight for it. I told him from the very beginning that I couldn't believe this time would be any different until I held our breathing baby in my hands. Josh gets it. Why the hell can't Sam see it? He's frustrated? Every time he says the word baby I feel like a total failure. He drops it so fast, it's like a drive by to my heart." 

"I know this is hard on you Mara but part of it is your own fault. I understand why you have to deal with this pregnancy the way you do but you've only made it harder on yourself. CJ was saying that sometimes she feels like it's her baby because Sam spends so much time talking to her about it." 

"Is my husband scared of me Abbey? It seems like it. Why can't he come to me when I'm in a good mood and say 'Look this is really important to me and I'd like to talk about the baby. Pick one of these topics you are most comfortable with ' Does he think I'd tell him to fuck off? I know my hormones have been out of whack but I really don't think I've been acting like an insensitive monster." 

"Sweetie, you need to have this conversation with your husband." 

"I still want to rip his head off. Not a good idea." 

"Why don't you get over there and make Jenna happy, come back and get some sleep. In the morning you can write Sam a note. Leave it on your bed and send him over for some sleep. Tell him you're too mad to speak and you'll come to him when you are ready." 

"I guess. I better go before Jenna is asleep. Don't wait up but I will have breakfast with you in the morning. I need to have at least 3 eggs for every breakfast." 

"Oh so you expect me to cook for you? What do you think I'm your Mother or something?" Abbey teased. 

"You're the Mom I love with all my heart." 

Abbey smiled softly at her adopted daughter. "Get, before I change my mind. Give Jenna a kiss for me." 

"Will do. Thanks Abbey." 

"Anytime my love." 

Mara made it back to the to the hospital just as Jenna was waking up from her nap. She ignored Sam except to ask for her seat back. 

"So what did you bring me?" Jenna asked. 

"I brought Eeyore, your discman, your robe, the book that was on your night table and a clove of garlic to ward off the blood sucking technicians that are going to be after you." 

Jenna started laughing. "You bring me any food?" 

"No but I set you up for the morning." 

Mara had asked the night nurse if she'd mind accepting a delivery from McDonald's for Jenna's breakfast. She was still mad at Sam so he got nothing. The nurse told Mara that if she wanted to bring some of Jenna's favourite drinks in, they'd keep them in the staff fridge in the lounge beside the desk. 

"Well I won't miss Capitol Beat tomorrow. Maybe I'll call in and force Josh to really debate." 

Mara smiled, "Yeah you can give Josh a hard time and tell him you're doing it with one hand behind your back." 

Jenna laughed then yawned so Mara gave her a kiss and told her to get some sleep. She walked out without saying a word to her husband. 

"Sam what imaginary injustice did you commit that has Mar so pissed at you?" Jenna asked moments later. 

"I actually said something rather nasty. The only reason I'm still living was that Mara had to see with her own eyes that you were fine." 

"Sam, I don't think I need to tell you that raising her stress level is not a good thing." 

"I know but the words were out of my mouth before I could stop them." 

"Well if you continue to bottle everything up you are going to keep doing stupid things like that. What's the definition of stupidity: doing the same thing and expecting a different result?" 

"Go to sleep Dr. Freud." 

Sam woke up with a very stiff back the next morning at seven when the doctor's did their rounds. Shortly after a nurse came in with a bag from McDonalds. Jenna unpacked it and tried not to smile when there was nothing for Sam. Jenna knew her Aunt was freezing him out as punishment. 

"You can have one of my two hash browns Sam." 

"No, I'm going to go get us some coffee and I'll pick something up." 

Mara and Abbey arrived a little after ten stopping to pick up some chocolate milk and Dr. Pepper for Jenna as well as sandwiches for lunch. Mara had taken Abbey's advice and left a note sitting on their bed. 

Sam was all set to flop down on the bed when he noticed a piece of paper sitting there. 

Samuel Norman Seaborn, 

I am so mad at you I could spit! Of all the hurtful, insensitive...you little fucker! 

You know how hard this pregnancy has been on me. I warned you from day one that I couldn't think about it or hope for it. You said You had faith enough for both of us. How dare you get all resentful and frustrated at me! Do you **even** have a **clue** how much it hurts every time you ask me something about the baby and then just drop it. For fucks sake Sam, it's not **my** fault that you bottle everything up inside. Grow a damn spine and **ask** to **talk** to me instead doing these lame ass hit- and- runs. I'm **beyond** furious with you right now. Pack a bag and ask Josh to give you the couch because I **sure as hell** don't want you in my **bed** or my** house** right now. I'll let you know when I feel like hearing an apology **from you**. 

He tossed the paper on the bedside table and fell asleep. He was too tired to care. When he woke up four hours later he looked at it again and called Josh. 

"Hey, I'm on air in five. What's up?" 

"I need a place to live for a week or so." 

"Oh, man what the hell did you do this time?" 

"If I tell you and Donna finds out we are both in trouble. If I don't' tell you, you can say that you know nothing and are innocent." 

"Donna will kick my ass either way. So what did you do?" 

Mara made a smart ass comment about not leaving me alone with our baby and I took it the wrong way. I blasted her back by saying 'Baby? What baby? I didn't know if you knew that we were having a baby!" 

"Sam! I might kick your ass before Donna does. Even I wouldn't say something that stupid and that's saying a lot." 

"I got one hell of a poison pen letter from her telling me that she didn't want me in her bed or her house and she'd inform me when she was ready to hear an apology." 

"Why did Mara even mention the baby?" 

"Jenna fell and gave herself a compound fracture of the left arm while she was under my watch." 

"Ouch Poor Jenna." 

"She'll be at GW for a week. She was planning on watching you today so..." 

"I'll know who I'm dealing with when I hear Jenna from Georgetown on line 2." 

"Yeah. So can I meet you at the studio when the show is over?" 

"Yes but consider yourself lucky that you've been my friend longer than Mara." 

"Abbey gave me shit, Jenna gave me shit so I'm getting use to it." 

"Bring some beer with you. I've got to go." 

The tease for Capitol Beat came up and Josh gave the viewers his usual smirk. 

"I'm Josh Lyman, Welcome to Capitol Beat. Today on the show we are going to be discussing why many countries consider us "Ugly Americans." My guests today are the lovely Congresswoman Andrea Wyatt and Congressman Matt Skinner. I'd like to take a moment to wish a very special lady a speedy recovery. Jenna I hope you are feeling better really soon..." 

"Our Jenna?" Andi asked forgetting about being on TV for the moment. 

"Yes. Jenna had an unfortunate incident involving a swing and the ground. The ground won and left Jenna with a compound fracture in her arm." 

"The poor thing. Jenna sweetie I hope they are giving you good drugs for the pain. I'll come see you after the show and sign your cast." 

"I hope you are feeling better really soon Jenna. Casts in the summer aren't fun." 

Jenna looked at Abbey and Mara before grinning. "That is so cool! Who told Josh?" 

"I assume Sam did when he asked about renting space on his couch." 

"So how long is Sam in the dog house this time?" Jenna asked with a grin. 

"He is banished for at least a week. I may consider allowing him in to the dog house, for your sake, once you are back home." 

"He admitted he said something pretty nasty without thinking. He said I was the only reason he was still alive." 

"Truer words have never been spoken. I still want to rip his intestines out with a plastic fork." 

"So I take it I'll be seeing you in shifts, because rage filled silence is a real downer to a sick person." 

"Yes. Would you like some Dr. Pepper?" 

"Sure when don't I want some DP?" "Wait, dial the show I have an answer for Josh." 

Mara picked up the phone and dialed the number. Jenna didn't' recognize the voice on the phone and told the new intern who she was and that she wanted to talk to her Uncle Josh and thank him for his get well wishes. The intern selected Jenna as one of the callers and put a card in front of Josh. Josh read Jenna wants to thank you and he almost laughed. He knew there was no way he was going to get thanked on air. Jenna had quickly become one of the viewers favourite callers because she argued so fiercely with Josh and often got the better of him. Josh had wanted to bring her on the show for months but Mara and Sam wouldn't let her because they feared she'd be offered her own political talk show. 

"Jenna from Georgetown you're on the air." 

"Hi Andi , Hi Matt. Thanks for the well wishes. Josh you want to know why so many people can't stand the United States? I'll tell you, it's because you all have big fat heads from your big fat egos and live in your own little isolated world. You all think America is the greatest Country on earth. You never stop to consider that the Untied Nations picks countries like Canada and Sweden as the best place to live. You think they are just doing it for laughs?. The United Nations looks at quality of life, quality of education, of health care, the crime rate, the economy, race relations and a whole host of other criteria and the US just doesn't make the grade. Yet year after year you bury your heads in the sand and keep muttering USA all the way, We're number one! 

How can a country with a lack luster literacy rate, no universal health care and an insane amount of gun deaths demean third world nations and yet ignore what's in your own backyard? You think the good old US of A makes the world go round, therefore you don't bother to learn a thing about the rest of the world. Any fifth grade Canadian child could tell you about the types of government in ¾ of the world. We study every country and are taught to think globally and act locally. At dinner last night, a high school kid asked me where Canada was. I almost wanted to give him credit for knowing it was another country. So many people hate Americans because as a whole it seems all you care about is ME and never consider WE. Until this changes, Americans will continue to wear little Canadian flags on their back packs in their misguided notion that they will get better treatment from the world as Canadians. Problem is Canadians don't need to wear little flags. America is flash with little substance yet it treats countries with substance like trash. You once told me that no one wants to sit on the Senate Foreign Affairs committee because there was no money in it from lobbyists to build up the campaign coffers. So there is another reason right there: greed. I hate to break it to you Uncle Josh but Americans are the only ones misguided enough to think the US is the greatest nation on earth." 

There was silence in the studio as Josh reset his jaw. Andi was beaming with pride and responded first. 

"Jenna, you spoke in wide sweeping generalized terms but you managed to hit the nail with the hammer. The Senate Foreign Affairs Committee and the Congressional Foreign Relations Committees do try very hard to think globally but you're right we don't get much respect in or outside of the government. When we try to get increased aid to help the starving children in Africa someone will always say well there are starving children here too. We should take care of our own and never mind with them. While these people have a point, they have no knowledge of the outside world and can't even comprehend the degrees of abject poverty a child in Somalia faces compared to an American child. " 

"So we are greedy misguided, ego maniacs with little substance and isolationist tendencies?" Josh asked. 

"Pretty much ya." Jenna answered knowing Josh could see the grin on her face. 

"I wonder Josh, if a fourteen year old can tell us that, why can't we see the forest through the trees?" Matt asked. 

"Because you're too busy cutting down the trees to make a quick profit and whining about Canadian Softwood lumber cutting in to your all mighty profits." Jenna retorted.. 

Matt, Andi and Josh all chuckled at that one and Josh cut to commercial. 

"Rugrat, you're killing me here. Those parents of yours have to stop letting you read so damn much!" 

"A mind is a terrible thing to waste Josh. I mean... imagine what you could have accomplished if you didn't waste your mind all those years ago " Jenna teased.. 

"Jenna what can I bring you?" Andi laughed. 

"A pint or two of Cherry Garcia." 

"Done. Do they have you on good drugs?" 

"Yes I can't feel a thing." 

"Jenna, If you don't mind I'll stop by this week to visit you." 

"Sure Matt, you are the only Republican I like." 

Matt chuckled, "What about Ainsley Hayes?" 

"I love her despite her political short comings." 

"Rugrat, I'm coming out of commercial. Don't call back and I'll see you later." 

"Jenna, you have to remember that Mara is the Canadian Ambassador and what you say may reflect on her." Abbey stated. 

"Jenna don't worry about it. I never want you to think you can't have an opinion. I just want you to think about who is listening before you say something. No one listens to Josh." Mara said with a grin knowing it wasn't true. 

Sam met Josh at the station and listened to his rant about Jenna being too smart for her own good. Sam just let him continue talk because there was no questions about Mara. Sam figured he'd give Andi some time to visit and he called to talk to Jenna. 

"Sam says he'll be here to have dinner with me. He's bringing me McDonalds. I take it you'll be leaving soon." 

"Jenna if you want me to stay I won't have any problem ignoring Sam." 

"No you and the baby shouldn't be around all these germs. Go home and try to relax. I'll be fine. I'll call you once I'm getting sleepy to say good night." 

"Are you sure?" 

"Positive. Now are you and Abbey going to help me eat that second pint of ice cream or not?" 

"There are two brownies left, I'll split one with you Abbey." Mara said as she got up to get the ice cream from the nurses lounge. 

They finished the ice cream and Abbey told Mara she'd meet her at the nurses desk after she went to the bathroom. She made sure Jenna had everything she needed and gave her a big kiss. She sat back down in the guest chair until Sam arrived. 

"Jenna, last night I was thinking that we should do something really special every month. Just the two of us and maybe we can include Abbey if she happens to be around. What do you think of us going for High Tea the third Saturday of every month.?" 

"Really?" Jenna asked with a huge grin. 

"Yeah, the Ritz does one here, the Queen Elizabeth in Montreal. The Chateau Laurier in Ottawa, there are a few places in New York or Toronto and we could copter to the Inn at Little Washington if we are at the Bay." 

"But what if I'm in Montreal the third Saturday?" 

"Then I guess I'll just have to get on a plane and come to you." 

"Oh wow, No that's silly. If I'm in Montreal we'll do it a week before. I was going to add or after but I'm in to instant gratification just like you." 

Mara laughed and kissed her again. "Sounds like a plan to me." 

"Can we get all dressed up like we were having tea with the Queen?" 

"I think that is a great idea. We can have a proper civilized tea like ladies of the royal court." 

"Then our pinkie's must be...hey Sam, Josh!" 

"Don't think I'm not on to you Rugrat. I know you are trying to steal my job from me." Josh teased. He noticed the sudden chill in the air as Mara looked right through Sam. 

"Josh if she was trying, she'd already have your job!" Mara replied as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. 

"I'll leave you to your gentlemen courtiers Lady Jenna. Don't forget to call me." 

"I won't, thanks Mom, I love you." 

"I love you too Jenna Benna." Mara leaned down to give her a kiss "Mom is going to go cry in the hall now." 

Jenna smiled knowing that she would be crying in Abbey's arms but in joy for a change. 

"I got you a cheese burger happy meal with two extra cheese burgers and did you just call Mar, Mom?" Sam asked. 

"Yes I did. She told be that I could call her what ever I wanted to and she'd never care or mind. It just seemed right. She didn't feel like my Aunty Mara she felt like my Mom." 

"Wow Bu is going to ruin Abbey's shirt instead of mine for a change." Josh commented. 

"I'll be back in a second." Sam said wondering for a split second if he should just let Mara be. 

She was leaning on Abbey her face buried in her shoulder. Abbey saw Sam first and smiled. He leaned over and left a soft kiss on her neck. 

"You are an amazing Mom." He said softly before turning to walk away. 

Mara reached out and grabbed his arm squeezing his wrist very tightly knowing it would hurt. 

She pulled him towards her until their foreheads met. 

"I still want to rip your head off and feed it to the elephants." 

"I know but I love you anyway." 

"I love you too now get away from me cause I want to bash you one." 

Sam jumped back in almost warp speed, blowing a kiss to his wife before disappearing into Jenna's room. 

"She still wants to murder you." Jenna said with a grin. 

"I know but she admitted she loved me and warned me to leave before she bashed me." 

"The two of you are both the world's biggest freaks." Josh chuckled before snatching a fry and shoving it in his mouth. 


	3. Lockdown

July 10 2009 

"Jenna, if I see you with that hanger again I'm going to beat you with it! Stop scratching!" Mara admonished." You are only making it worse. Let me put some of that anti- itch powder in again." . 

It had been three weeks since Jenna broke her arm. Her dosage of pain pills had been lowered and the searing July heat was driving her out of her mind. They had been up at the Bay house for five days but Sam wouldn't let Mara on the sailboat because he didn't want her to fall, and Jenna had also been banned because of her mobility issues. Mara had taken the key from Sam and hidden it, rationalizing that if they couldn't sail either could he. Sam wasn't about to cross Mara since she'd only recently started speaking to him with regularity. Mara was eight months pregnant and still didn't look like it. She'd only managed to gain 17 pounds and Dr. Phelps had given up on hoping for more. 

"I can't swim, I can't sail. I'm going to bed. At least when I'm asleep, I don't itch!" Jenna pronounced and stomped up to her room. 

"Poor kid, you coming swimming?" Sam asked before he dove into the water. 

"No, I don't feel like it. I'm going to get an ice tea you want one?" 

"Sure." 

Mara came back ten minutes later after eating two pints of blueberries. She brought out a bowl of bing cherries and a large glass of ice tea. She sat down on the edge of the pool putting just her ankles in. 

"What about me?" 

"Sorry I only have two hands, you can share my drink." Mara replied picking up a cherry and efficiently tying the stem with her tongue. 

Mara's little skill turned Sam on, until he finally realized that it was merely the way she always ate cherries. She did it mindlessly and was never aware of it until someone brought it up. Sam swam a few laps until he decided he wanted a drink. He swam underwater until he could see Mara's feet and surfaced in front of her. She had arched her back supporting it with her hands behind her. Sam's eyes immediately focused on her very full, round breasts straining beneath the thin cotton of her white button down shirt. He reached up and gently started undoing the buttons on her shirt. Mara looked down when she felt a drop of water on her stomach. 

"The girls can't breathe," Sam replied with a sexy grin as he manipulated the last three buttons. 

Pleased with his new view, he let a drop of water fall on her right nipple and watched as it contracted into a hard pebble. He repeated the move on her left nipple before gently raking his teeth over it. 

Mara moaned softly but didn't move. Undeterred, he started working her shorts off as his lips continued their assault on her breasts. He parted her legs and stood between them, putting his arms around her waist and pulling her into the water with him. 

"Samuel, you are very lucky I'm quite horny at the moment or I'd drown you." 

Sam kissed her passionately as he entered her. Her legs wrapped around his waist, her hands kneading the firm roundness of his defined cheeks as he tilted her to thrust deeper. She remembered why she didn't like making love in the pool as she struggled to keep a firm grasp on him. Sam noticed her enthusiasm had greatly diminished and carried her out of the pool and to the lounge chair on the deck The change of location pleased Mara greatly and Sam was rewarded. 

A few hours later Mara checked in on Jenna and told her they were going out to dinner to a local seafood place. Sam had just finished commenting on the prompt service and the attention the waiter was giving them when Jenna rolled her eyes at him. 

"What was that for young lady?" Sam asked. 

"Ya think the service could have something to do with the playmate sitting beside you?" Jenna retorted. 

Sam was about to respond when he was distracted by quite the view of his wife's cleavage as she leaned over to grab another piece of bread. 

"I rest my case!" Jenna said loudly to get Sam to look at her instead of her Aunt's cleavage. 

"What are the two of you nattering about?" Mara asked. 

"Mar, I know that the baby is responsible, but don't you own anything you aren't almost popping out of?" Jenna asked. 

"No and I refuse to buy new clothes with only a month to go." 

"But your boobs are going to be huge for quite some time." 

"True but fall is coming and this horrendous heat will be over. I won't be wearing tank or halter tops anymore." 

"I hate the fall." Sam said with a sexy grin. 

"Yeah, because you don't like Mara in tight turtleneck sweaters at all!" Jenna replied sarcastically rolling her eyes once again. 

The waiter placed a plate of scallops in front of Mara. "Thanks, I'm eight months pregnant and ravenous." She said with a grin. "That should end any little fantasy he was having about me." 

Jenna and Sam both chuckled at her comment as they dug into their crab alfredo. 

July 28 2009 

"I thought you weren't going in this week" Sam asked as he left a kiss on the swell of each breast, She was wearing this scope neck top that she'd had for years that had only recently become rather revealing. 

"What gave you that idea? I've got three meetings this morning and one at noon. I'm going to call it a day around two. I'm going to see Dr. Phelps at 2:15." 

"I"ll drop by a little before two then." 

"What are you doing today?" 

"Ginger is going to bring Samantha over. Jenna is going to entertain her while we work on my course syllabus." 

"Oh. You know if you are a good boy, I might just show up for your first lecture. I'll wear a very short skirt, a very revealing top and sit in the front row." 

Sam smiled and kissed each breast again. "Every top you own is revealing dear. I'm afraid my students wouldn't learn very much watching me ravish you." 

"Oh I think we could teach them a thing or two." Mara replied saucily. 

"Ginger suggested I do a dry run the day before. I'm expecting you to attend." 

"That gives me several weeks to find the perfect saucy school girl look." 

"Now I need a cold shower. You go to work." 

Mara laughed evilly as she left the room. 

"Where's Sam?" Jenna asked as she handed her a tall glass of orange juice. 

"Taking a cold shower." 

"So you got him all hot and bothered and walked away again eh?" 

"Actually this time he sent me away first. Thanks for breakfast." 

Mara dug into a mushroom, ham and cheese omelet. When she was done she washed the dishes for Jenna, gave her a kiss and was out the door. 

"Sam, I really think you have them reading too much weeks 7 and 8. You've got to get rid of 3, of those articles." 

"I can't they are all important." 

"Sam if you include them, ¾ of the class is not going to read them, so why bother? If they are that important summarize them and ask them to read them when they have time." 

"I'll think about it, Ginger. Leave a question mark in the margin and we'll go on." 

"Sam, it's 1:45, you better get going if you don't want Mar to leave without you." 

"Thanks Jenna, I'm on my way." 

"Doctor's appointment." Ginger guessed. 

"Yes, Mara's due in 3 weeks so Dr. Phelps wants to see her every 3 days. I think it's more to reassure her than for any concerns." 

"She's been so incredible with Mara." 

"Yes she's been a God send. Now of course, there is no room for the baby or anything to put the baby in but..." 

"Sam, it's a small price to pay for your wife's mental health. You do have stuff, by the way. It's all in my basement. We couldn't throw Mar a shower so we're going to do baby party for her instead." 

"Ah that's sweet Ginger. You think you could make me a list of what I'll actually have to buy." 

"I think I could arrange that. You better get going boss." 

"Thanks Ging." Sam replied kissing her on the cheek before he dashed out the door. 

"So you're not coming in tomorrow, right Pamela Lee?" Leslie teased. 

"Everyone is obsessed with my breasts. Yes they are huge. Get over it people!" Mara sighed. 

"Oh come on Mar, Hooters called. They just named your boobs Hooters of the decade." Leslie teased again. 

"Remind me to fire your skinny ass before I leave." 

"Sam isn't going to want to share his favourite toys with the baby." 

"Don't think the thought hasn't crossed my mind. Sam has always been in deep lust with the girls. 

Which was a good thing because they like attention, but I swear he's addicted to them now. He's always playing with them. He knows I haven't been wearing a bra for almost 2 months which only encourages him. If I wasn't afraid that it would hurt to take them off, I'd put, off limits stickers on them." 

Leslie started laughing which only got louder when she saw Sam heading towards her desk. Mara was laughing too which immediately put Sam on guard. 

"What's so funny?" 

"Leslie just called me Pamela Lee so I said that would make you Tommy Lee and it cracked us up." 

"Both of you have too much time on your hands I see. You ready to go?" 

"Yes." 

Mara had grabbed her purse and was on the way out the door when Leslie looked up at her. 

"Congressman Wiez is on line one, he just missed you right?" 

"Nah, I'll take it. I won't be on for long." Mara handed Sam her purse and sat back down at her desk. She was only on the phone for five minutes and knew they would have just enough time to make her appointment. They were standing at the elevator when Mara noticed the red light flashing. 

"Quick Sam try to open the stairwell." 

Sam pushed on the bar but it was locked. 

"Damn it, we're in lock down. OK Sam, let's go to the conference room right now. Leslie, I left 5 minutes ago OK?" 

"Yes boss." 

"Why are we going to the conference room?" Sam asked. 

"Shhs, just go and try not to draw attention to us." 

Mara closed the door to the conference room and dropped the blinds. 

"Wouldn't couch sex be more comfortable?" Sam teased. 

"Shut up and stand perfectly still beside me." Mara ordered as she opened a closet , took out her cell phone and pointed it at the back of the closet. 

Sam's jaw dropped when the back of the closet swung open. "What the hell?" 

"We are escaping . Now step right..." Sam heard Mara suck air through her teeth as she doubled over in pain. 

"No, this can't be happening now!" 

"What?" 

"I'm going into freaking labour!" 

"You can't be! It's 3 weeks early!" 

"Tell that to your kid! Shit, it's going to be more dangerous for us to make a break for it. Step out of the closet Sam " 

Mara closed the swinging door and sat down on a chair. She glanced at her watch and dialed Dr. Maureen Phelps. 

"Hi Gail, the embassy has just been locked down and I'm also going into labour as we speak. Can I talk to Maureen?" 

"Yeah, give me a second." 

"Mara, are you sure?" 

"Yes I'm sure and the fact that we are in a lock down only strengthens the fact that I'm going to have the baby now." 

"If you tell them they'll let you out right?" 

"No, they will tell me they have to get back to me. By the time that happens the baby will be two!" 

"Well if you're in lock down, they won't let me in either." 

"True, but I'm going to bypass that. Can you meet Jenna in front of the Roots on the second floor of Canada Place in fifteen minutes?" 

"Give or take a five minutes yes." 

"Good, bring whatever one needs to birth a baby. See you soon." Mara hung up and dialed Jenna. 

"Hi Mar, what's up?" 

"I'm going into labour and we're in a lock down." 

"Holy crap, you can't make it out?" 

"I was trying to when this started. Can you show Dr. Phelps in to the conference room. She'll meet you at Roots in 15 minutes." 

"I'm on my way." 

"Kay." Mara hit the phone in the conference room and got Leslie. 

"I'm going into labour dear, get my security." 

"Wouldn't you be more comfortable in your office?" Sam asked as the panic started to build inside of him. 

"It's easier to clean up in here. Bloody hell! Who's dumb idea was it to only do Lamaze next week?" 

"I think it would be wise to not remind you dear. Some one was caught up in the notion of not needing it because of an epideral." 

The phone rang and Mara picked it up. "Yes?" 

"Hi Mara. This is Frank Hart, I'm security chief today. You wanted me?" 

"Frank I've gone in to labour. You need to end this lock down now!" 

"I'm afraid I don't..." 

"Frank, don't tell me that. Get on the friging phone and tell whoever the situation and make them give you the authority to end this lock down!" Mara hung up the phone and screamed as another contraction took over her body. 

Leslie heard the scream down the hall and rushed to the conference room. One look at Sam and Mara's face said it all. 

"Crap, you're in labour. What can I do?" 

"Go grab the pillows from my office because if I hold Sam's hand, I'll break it." 

Leslie was back in two minutes and got right on the phone to Abbey who was going to pack and head to the airport. She called the pilot and told him he was leaving for Manchester immediately. She called Toby, who asked her to book him on the next flight from Laguardia as he was on his way. Sam and Mara just sat back and watched her in action, mobilizing the troops in record time with astounding efficiency. 

"Wow, that was beyond impressive Leslie. If it's a girl I think we are going to have to name her Leslie." 

"Aww, that's so sweet Sam. Mara I think I've seen ice chips in the movies. I'll go get you some." 

"Put them in the bottom of a double JD please." 

"Mara, if you do that there is no way you can have an epideral." 

Leslie ignored the ensuing discussion because she had no intention of giving Mara anything stronger than a Dr..Pepper. 

"Sam, I think we need to start thinking of boys names. We're having a boy." 

"Did you go behind my back and..." 

"Shut the hell up! No, I did not ask Dr.Phelps but she knows. I can tell, I'm sure it's a boy." 

"Well Ginger told me that her basement is filled with baby things. Thank God or we never would have had time to..." 

"Samuel Norman Seaborn! I swear to God, I'm going to be a single mother if you utter one more word of criticism. Am I making myself fucking clear?" 

"Crystal." Sam muttered not daring to roll his eyes. 

Going in to labour freaked Mara out and she felt like a caged animal. .She called Ron and told him that they had ten minutes to get Dr. Phelps inside or she was taking matters in to her own hands. She then called President John Hoynes and asked him to order the FBI or Secret Service or whoever was doing a lock down test to end it. Their conversation was interrupted by another contraction and when Mara returned she told John that he doctor was there and that she'd kill anyone who tried to stop them from leaving. 

"How far apart are the contractions?" Dr. Phelps asked. 

"On top of each other." Mara hissed as another one began. 

"That was almost 4 minutes apart." Sam supplied.. 

With Leslie and Jenna's help the conference table became a sterile field and Mara was helped on to the table. 

"Well Mara, looks like I won't have to pack this weekend after all." Dr. Phelps said without thinking. as she checked to see how dilated her patient was. 

"Pack this weekend? MARA!" Sam yelled wanting to murder her. 

"No child of mine was going to be born a Yankee!" Mara yelled back giving Sam her death glare. 

"Well Mara, you can rest easy. You are completely dilated and you will have this baby on Canadian Embassy soil." 

"Dr. Phelps, doesn't the water have to... Yuck!." 

Mara couldn't help but laugh. "Jenna you want to ask if the baby should be born right away?" 

"Nice try Mara, but it's not that fast." 

"Jenna, feel free to leave if this is going to gross you out. Oh remember Maureen I ..." 

"Yes you want a clean baby put in your hands. Sam, you don't look too good. I want you to go splash some water on your face and take few deep breaths on the patio. I'll send Jenna to get you." 

"Go Sam! I don't want you passing out, because I'm going to order everyone to ignore you." 

"Kay, I'll be back in five." 

"So I'll take that epidural now ." 

"I'm afraid you are too far along Mara. You are going to have a natural birth in every sense of the word." 

"Dear God, you aren't joking." Mara whispered mortified. 

"Look on the bright side, this is going to be a very short labour" 

"That's easy for you to say! You're not the one about to pass a watermelon!" 

"I can guarantee you won't be delivering a watermelon Mara." 

"It's a boy isn't it." 

"Mara, you said you wanted to be surprised." 

"I lied. I hate surprises. I just didn't want to know and loose a baby, I'd already named and made plans for. Not knowing has made it a little easier to deal with. I've known for months that it's a boy. I tried pushing it out of my mind but I couldn't. I just kept worrying over and over again that I'd loose Sam's heir. I didn't want to hear anything about the baby. I didn't want to plan or get ready . I kept putting the Lamaze off because the closer I got to this moment , the more terrified I became that something would go horribly wrong." 

"Oh Mara, I'm amazed you don't have an ulcer. How did you deal with that? That much emotional stress could've lead to another miscarriage. That is probably why you didn't gain the ideal amount of weight. I wish you would have talked to me. I could have helped you Mara. Pregnancy is suppose to be a joyous time not torture. Trust me, the physical pain is going to be nothing compared to the anguish you've inflicted on yourself the last 7 months. It's a boy." 

"Damn, I was hoping for a sister." Jenna exclaimed. "Oops I said that out loud didn't I?" 

"Yes you did, but I understand darling. I know I always wanted a daughter because I love you so much." 

"Well you already have the world's greatest daughter so I guess you have to settle for a son." Jenna said with a grin before kissing Mara. 

"Jenna, with minds as impressive as ours, I think we should be able to raise an intelligent man." 

Maureen chuckled, "Jenna I'd move my hand if I were you." 

Jenna had just enough time to move before another contraction hit Mara hard. 

"That was three minutes apart Mara. On the next one I want you to start pushing. Jenna go get..." 

"Sam. I'm on my way." 

Jenna found him on the patio looking out towards the Capital with a bottle of water in his hand. 

"It's show time Sam and it is a boy. I may not agree with the way Mar, handled this, but I swear if you mention how she coped with this pregnancy in anything other than glowing terms, I will hurt you." 

"You just channeled her there and damn that's some scary stuff." Sam muttered. 

A huge grin spread across her face before she chased after Sam. She stopped to tell Leslie a new Canadian was about to be born. Sam walked in to the conference room and caught a view of his wives anatomy that made him feel queasy. She quickly made his way up towards her head and stood with his back to Maureen. Jenna walked in exclaimed "Cool!" and volunteered to be the obstetric nurse. Sam quickly told her she could, in fact, cut the cord, his eyes never leaving Mara's face. If Mara wasn't so nervous and uncomfortable she'd tease him for being such a wuss. 

"Mara, on the next contraction I want you to start pushing." 

"Sam, quick I want to dictate a letter." 

"Mara?" 

"Just grab some bloody paper and write what I say!" Mara screamed. 

Sam looked around quickly and grabbed a binder off a shelf, flipping to the last few pages he tore the standard blank note pages out. He pulled his pen out of his shirt pocket and gave Mara his 'well?' look. 

"My darling Son, I wish I could tell you stories of how jubilant I felt while carrying you. I wish I could share all my dreams and hopes for you. Unfortunately, I was so worried I'd never be able to carry you to term that I refused to dream, to even hope I'd be able to hold you in my arms and play with your tiny fingers and profess my undying love to you. Never think that I didn't want you. The truth is, that all my hopes and dreams will finally come true when Maureen delivers you in a few minutes. You will quickly learn that your father and I are not playing with a full deck and that your sister Jenna isn't' either. Don't worry little one, we're the good kind of crazy. We embrace the silly little things in life and argue about stupid things because we all love the sound of our own voices. You're Daddy is going to be President of the United States one day, but don't worry. You're a Canadian, so you'll have the backing of a real country behind you. I love you already and I've never even met you. Love always Mom. aka the Canadian Ambassador to the United States of America or Mrs. Sam Seaborn." 

Sam put the paper and his pen down behind Mara's head and leaned over to kiss his wife with tears streaming down his face. In the middle of the kiss he mouthed I'm sorry. Mara felt another contraction and intensified the kiss as she pushed with all her might. She finally had to break their kiss to breathe and as she did, she heard the most beautiful sound she'd ever heard; the first cry of their son. 


	4. Matthew Tobias Seaborn

"We're just going for a little walk. We may, or may not, be back," CJ teased as she left Sam and Mara alone in her hospital room for the first time in ten hours. 

"You want me to tell everyone to leave us the hell alone?" Sam asked with a grin. 

"Nah, CJ's not going to leave until Toby gets here anyway. I feel sorry for everyone on the train with him. He should've let me send the jet." 

"Yeah well six hours ago he had no idea what a mess LaGuardia would become. Think I should go get him a bottle of JD?" 

"No, if I can't have some JD neither can Toby-wan. Jenna said her wrist was aching, did you give her anything?" 

"I handed her over to Abbey's care. She was pretty wiped." 

"Yeah I bet she's asleep before Abbey or Jed can tuck her in. Did you get a hold of your sister?" 

"She sends her love. They're wrapping up principal photography in Paris in twenty days. She wants me to send a digital picture in a few days. She said she'd either go home for a few days or head straight here depending on when 'her little man' is going to be baptized. 

"Samuel, the 'little man' needs a name. What do you think of Matthew Tobias Seaborn." 

"I like it. Josh won't and the Pres...Jed will be a little disappointed, but I like it." 

"Go tell the nurse our son finally has a name and triple check what she writes down." 

"Yes ma'am," Sam replied with a grin. 

Mara leaned back her head for a moment and was out like a light when Sam returned two minutes later. He left a gentle kiss on her lips and quietly left the room. CJ was standing in the mini solarium at the end of the hall. Sam had no idea what she was pointing to inthe window but Matthew wasn't crying so he didn't care. 

"The whole world is going to be your oyster, my little one. You're never going to want for anything. You'll be smothered by love, surrounded by brilliance and your mommy is rich enough that, when you discover your passion, you won't need to worry about having a roof over your head. I've been trying to see it, but right now you don't look like Mar or Sam. You look like you to me." 

"CJ, what are you teaching Matthew already ?" 

CJ turned around, saw at the gleam in Sam's eyes and looked down at the gurgling baby in her arms who was still holding onto her pinky finger. "Matthew, Matt, Matty... Works for me." 

"I'm glad you approve," Sam replied with a smug grin that said, 'too bad if it doesn't'. 

"I'm not ready to give him up yet." 

"No problem. Mara's finally asleep. You want some coffee?" 

"Sure, I like the little LoJack on his wrist." 

"Yeah I guess it's better to be safe then sorry. Apparently, you can't leave the nurse's desk area without it going off. The stairs and elevator are triggered too." 

"Damn. I better learn how to pick this thing while you're gone, then." 

Sam leaned over and left a kiss on her cheek. "I love you, despite the fact that you're trying to steal my son." 

"I'm so thrilled for you, Spanky. The sisterhood's loss is your gain." 

"I didn't care as long as it was a healthy baby. I have to tell you, though3 women and me...way too much estrogen." 

"Go get me coffee, mi amor," CJ laughed. 

Sam was waiting for the elevator, two coffee cups in hand when he heard it. 

"The Boy Wonder finally comes through.I hear it's a boy ?" 

"Hey Robin, enjoy your scenic rail ride?" Sam replied sarcastically. 

"I'd kill you if today wasn't your son's birthday. How is Mara doing?" 

"She's finally asleep. She's doing well. It was a very fast labour." 

"With no painkillers right? So, I guess you're never allowed to touch her again?" 

"Actually she surprised the crap out of me and told me how much she loved me instead. Abbey and Jed took Jenna home but Ainsley made up the spare bedroom for you." 

"That's sweet of her," Toby replied as they stepped on the elevator. 

"So, what was the birthing experience like?" 

"Way too squicky. Mara wouldn't tolerate me passing out, so I had my back to Maureen for the entire time and focused on Mar. Jenna, on the other hand cut the cord and helped Maureen clean the baby off. She kept saying stuff like 'oh wow' and 'cool'." 

"Sam, when Jenna wins a Nobel Prize, remember this moment andthat I called it first." 

"Think that will be before the Oscar, after the Pulitzer, the same year as the Order of Canada or...?" 

"Before she's elected Prime Minister of Canada," Toby chuckled. 

They decided to look in on Mara before checking if CJ had succeeded in her kidnapping attempt and found herin the guest chair watching Mara kissing the baby's tiny toes. 

"Never figured you for the foot fetish type." 

Mara smiled, "Were you trying to navigate using the Delta shuttle again?" 

Toby chuckled heartily, "You know you just zinged your hubby, not me." 

"Shall we talk about Indiana instead?" 

"I see thatmotherhood hasn't affected your evil tendencies." 

"Tobs, get your ass over here and kiss me!" 

Toby kissed the baby on the top of the head then kissed both of her cheeks. "You deserve this darling," Toby whispered. 

"Thanks. I'd like you to meet Matthew Tobias Seaborn." 

Toby looked shocked, then his entire face softened as a large smile spread across his face. He looked over at Sam, who could read how touched he was. 

"It was actually the evil one's idea. I just agreed." 

"I'm honoured. May I?" 

Mara handed Matthew over to Toby and watched him instantly turn into the teddy bear she always knew he was. She had to smile as she overheard Toby mention something about the Yankees. 

"Hey, my son will root for whatever team he wants or, he may just hate baseball." 

"That isn't even in the realm of funny, Mara!" 

"I figured I'd call him Matty-wan." 

"You know, Mara, for thirty seconds there you had my undying love and devotion and you just had to goand ruin it." 

Mara chuckled to herself, "Would you stop being such a putz and agree to be Matthew's official guardian!" 

"Well someone has to give the boy his street smarts, because you two Ivy leaguers are useless. I accept for Matthew's sake." 

"Thank you, Toby. Now, can you give me my son back and get the hell out of here so I can get some sleep?" 

"Sam, you staying or do you want a lifeI mean lift home?" 

"Sam is staying, but you can buy me dinner, Tobs." CJ replied. 

"Sweetie, if you..." 

"No, I'm fine and the only place I want to be is with my wife and son. See you guys in the AM. Do you want anything to eat?" 

"I'm fine right now. If you want anything though, you can order something to be delivered." 

"Maybe in a little while. So, how're you feeling?" 

Sam and Mara continued talking and watching their son sleep until she drifted off again. Sam ordered them both dinner which they ate after Mara gave up trying to breastfeed Matthew. She teased Sam about being wrong about his paternity, since no son of Sam's would refuse her breasts. Matthew seemed to enjoy sleeping, just like his mother, and didn't wake up after eleven until seven the next morning. 

2 days later 

Jenna had visited with her baby brother for a couple of hours until she grew tired of having people snatch him out of her arms. She told Mara she was going to get some candy in the gift shop and decided to go visit the orthopedics clinic to see if the nurse she liked was on duty. She was on her way in when she noticed a very cute boy sitting alone in the waiting area. His right arm was in a cast from his knuckles to his elbow. She stood near the check-in desk at an angle so she could observe the boy through the mirror. Jenna liked what she saw. He had short dark brown hair, stunning green eyes, long muscular jean clad legs and a short sleeve navy blue golf shirt that fit snugly across his broad chest. 

"Hi can I...Jenna? What are you doing here?" 

"Mara gave birth to Matthew Tobias yesterday. I got tired of sharing my brother with all the adults, so I thought I'd see if Lucy was in." 

"You just missed her. She should be back in about 20 minutes." 

"I'll wait." 

"He's cute but he's too old for you Jenna." 

"Did I say I wanted a date? As Mara would say, appreciating a fine man is always a worthy diversion from the drudgery of our daily existence." 

"Like she needs to look beyond her own bed," Judy laughed. "Your diversion looks a lot like Sam." 

"I guess Mara and I share the same taste in men. Mara's in room 445; you should pop up and see Matthew." 

"Who does he look like?" 

"A baby." 

"Cute. So, do you want to know his name?" 

"Where would the fun be in that? Don't rush to call him in, though." 

Jenna recognized the back cover of the book and grinned. "An excellent novel, though some of its brilliance is lost in translation. You really should take the time to read it in the original Russian, as it was meant to be read." 

Jenna bit her lower lip when his eyelashes fluttered and his green eyes met her blue ones. "You've read Tolstoy in Russian?" 

"A few years ago. I just finished Voskrasenia about a month ago." 

"You read this for pleasure?" 

"Sure. I read my way through the Library of Congress's Classic Literature holdings in less than two years." 

"Wow, and I thought I was an overachiever." 

"Brilliance and a passion for words runs in my family. You didn't even like the war part?" Jenna asked, thinking that if he didn't like Tolstoy, then maybe he wasn't so cute after all. 

"I liked _Anna Karenina_ better. Hi, I'm Jacob Hepler." 

"Jenna Leveille, Heplerwhat a strange name. Wait, I think I've heard itAre you related to Senator Richard Hepler Wright?" 

"He's my dad. How do you know him?" 

"So what did you do to your arm?" Jenna asked, wondering what Sam would say if he knew that she was talking to a Republican Senator's son. 

"I broke my forearm." 

"Ouch. Try a compound radial fracture of the wrist, then you'll understand true agony." 

"Is that why your left wrist is fatter than the right?" 

"Yes, I broke it in July and I'm still in PT." 

"Did it hurt?" 

"I'd say excruciating agony would start to describe it." 

"Did seeing the bone freak you out?" 

"I was in too much pain to even notice. I vaguely remember hearing something about blood." 

"Ouch, so how did you do it?" 

"Bad dismount." 

"Ah, so you're a gymnast?" 

Jenna chuckled," Ummno, a daredevil swinger. Never met a playground I didn't like." 

"I claim I did this playing rugby. I really missed the bottom two stairs at home." 

"I think we both should stop challenging gravity." 

"What time is it?" 

Jenna checked her watch, "Time you learned how to tell the time. It's 1:30." 

"They should be calling me soon. How much does rehab hurt?" 

"It's bad, but eventually you get used to it." 

"You didn't answer me earlier. How do you know my dad?" 

"He's a senator. I know all the members of the Senate. House, too. My Uncle Josh and I play 'name that senator' games all the time." 

"Do you regularly hang out in hospital waiting rooms?" 

Jenna laughed, "Mara just gave birth and I was being ignored in favour of my new baby brother." 

"Are you dealing with a step-monster?" 

"No, it a long story. Take me out for pizza and root beer and I may give you the Cliff's Notes version." 

"It's a deal. My cell phone is in my knapsack. Wouldyou program your number into it?" 

"Sure." Jenna found the phone easily and plugged in her cell and home numbers. 

Josh cut through Emergency to the second bank of patient elevators, his arms weighed down with a stuffed donkey and Good and Plenty candy for Mara. He happened to glance in the orthopedic waiting room and was stunned to see Jenna flirting with a Sam clone. He quickly spun around and headed towards the waiting room. 

"Jenna, what on earth is going on here?" Josh asked 

"Hey Uncle Josh, I'm just chatting with my friend Jacob." 

"Jacob? Oy, he's too old for you." 

"Josh!" 

"Don't 'Josh!' me, young lady, I'm pretty sure I'm taking this better than Sam would. You know, he has spots reserved for you in two convents for situations just like this." 

"Mara knows where I am." 

"Really? Somehow I don't think she gave you orders to wander around flirting shamelessly." 

"Matthew still doesn't like her nipples. I think me physical breathing is all she cares about right now." 

"Young man, do you realize you are taking to a mouthy minor? Jenna, if you aren't upstairs in twenty minutes I'm sending an agent down to collect you." Josh added, confident he'd put an end to that budding relationship. 

"How old are you Jenna?" Jacob asked with a little concern. 

"Fifteen. How old are you?" 

"Seventeen. I'll be eighteen in March." 

"So, should I leave you alone?" 

"No, you're the most interesting person I've talked to in ages. This complicates things..." 

"A little complication insures things are never boring." 

"That was Josh Lyman, right? President Bartlet's Deputy Chief of Staff and host of _Capital Beat_?" 

"Yes." 

"So who is your Dad?" 

"My parents are both deceased. I call Sam Seaborn my dad because he's acted like it since the moment we met. Mara is actually my cousin and legal guardian. I occasionally call her 'mom'." 

"Mara Whitford, the Canadian Ambassador to the US? She freaks my dad out. He says that of allthe diplomatsshe's the toughest nut to crack." 

"She'll be happy to hear that. Do you drive?" 

"Of course, but I won't be doing any driving until my arm heals." 

"I don't think you'd be allowed to drive me anywhere. So, what school do you attend?" 

"Sidwell Friends. What about you?" 

"I do all my courses online through a Catholic girl's school in Toronto. I'm doing grade 12 courses but I'm not allowed to graduate until I'm sixteen." 

"You're well protected, that's refreshing. The parents of aclassmate I datedlast winter left on a 30-day cruise and left her home alone. My parents are pretty old fashioned, too. If they hear a girl's name more than a few times, an engraved invitation goes out." 

"Really?" Jenna giggled. 

"Not quite, but close. My mom always says that concern means love. While it annoys the crap out of me occasionally, I can't argue with the idea." 

"Mara is very cool. She trusts me implicitly, knowing that I'd never do anything stupid. I love Sam so much but I think he liked me better before I became a teenager. He always says I caused his few gray hairs." 

"My mom is pretty cool; all my friends think she's great. My dad, honestly, has very little time at home. An aide brought me in when I broke my arm. It sort of sucks, but I've learned to deal with it." 

"Jacob, they are ready for you. Jenna, Lucy will be right out." 

Jenna got up and lightly placed Jacob's backpack over his left shoulder. He smelled really good and she thought of a scene from an old movie she'd watched a few times with her mother. She gingerly picked up Jacob's injured arm and pressed one of his fingers against her bottom lip. She looked him straight in the eye and smiled. 

"Call me tonight around nine." 

"Sure," Jacob replied quietly as he traced the outline of her lips and smiled at her. 

Jenna talked to Lucy for fifteen minutes before returning to Mara's room. There was no sign of Sam, but Josh was sitting in the guest chair snacking on licorice with Mara. 

"I am so telling Donna what you did to me, Josh!" Jenna proclaimed as she swiped the bag of Good and Plenty away from him. 

"So, who is this guy Josh has labeled Public Enemy Number One?" 

"His name is Jacob Hepler. He's 17 and goes to Sidwell Friends, reads War and Peace and he has eyes almost as green as yours." 

"I take it he's cute?" Mara asked with a grin. 

"Oh yeah, he's a nice piece of eye candy but has a brain. You freak out his dad. He thinks you're the toughest diplomat to deal with." 

"Hepler...Hepleris he Richard Hepler Wright's son?" 

"Yup and he smells awesome." 

Josh rolled his eyes and sighed, so Mara and Jenna both tossed licorice at him. 

"He sort of smells like a cross between peppermint and Cool Water for men." 

"He's a Sam clone, that can't be healthy." Josh stated. 

"Josh, let my little girl speak or I'll call Donna myself! Go on, sweetie." 

"He's really cool and after Deputy Downer all but announced my age, he said it was a complication butthat I was refreshing and interesting." 

"He's a smart boy. Now, Jenna, I want you to take this very slowly. Until school starts, your curfew's midnight as long as I know where you are." 

"That's very fair." 

"That's insane." 

"Josh, I swear if you get Sam all fired up about this, every time Matthew cries I'm calling you." 

"Ouch, that's cold." 

"That's the point. Now give me more licorice." 

"He reads and I really wanted to kiss him." 

"Fifteen minutes after I met Sam, I wanted to kiss him. I waited about 16 hours. Jenna, you never get a second first kiss. Billy Reid was a geek, but I still remember that kiss. A good one feels like magic." 

"What about the first time you kissed Donna?" 

"Jenna, it's different for guys. Her lips were soft and we didn't stop at justone kiss." 

"Yeah, that's because the sexual tension was combustiblebefore you bought a clue," Jenna laughed. 

Mara had to laugh and was relieved that Matthew stayed asleep in Josh's arms while he started laughing. Sam walked in and they merely glanced at him and continued laughing. For his part Sam didn't care why they were laughing. He handed Jenna a chicken wrap and placed the bag at Mara's feet. I saw Maureen downstairs. She'll be up shortly to spring you. I need to know where we're going." 

Mara reallywanted to go to the Bay house, but she couldn't do that to Jenna. "Home is fine with me. Ginger said she put the basement in my dressing room. Jenna, why don't you make your ownway home? I know you wanted to do a little book shopping." 

Jenna got up and left a kiss on Mara's neck. "I love you. Thanks." 

Jenna got downstairs just in time to see Jacob leaving from his appointment. His backpack had just slipped down his left arm and clattered to the floor. 

"Allow me." 

"Thanks. How come you're back?" 

"Mara told me it was bad form to not have at least a brownie on a first date." 

Jacob laughed, "Great, but I onlyhave about five bucks on me." 

"I'm a fun, fabulous, fearless female. I'll treat this time." 

"I wouldn't have pegged you as a Cosmo girl." 

"Guilty pleasure I share with Ainsley. How about we walk over to Cocoa Latte?" 

"They make great blondies." 

"Yeah, but you haven't lived until you've tasted Mara's caramel brownies. If you are good maybe I'll ask for the recipe and make you a batch." 

"Do you want to go to the movies tomorrow?" 

"Evening maybe, the day is set aside for my tea with Mara." 

It took Jenna two hours to make it home. Jacob walked her back to the mansion so she had the car drop him off at home. She started the coffee maker for Sam and brewed a pot of English Breakfast tea for Mara. She assumed Josh would eitherbe with them or over shortly thereafter so she turned her base of cold tea into her signature lime iced tea. For the first time in 12 years, Jenna was actually thinking of not becoming the Canadian Prime Minister when she grew up. The PM's office had serious competition in the form of becoming a chef. Mara had arranged for Jenna to spend three weeks studying in Pairs at the Cordon Bleu. Margaret was going to accompany her and evenwith her new relationship with Jacob, she still couldn't wait for the middle of September. 

Mara looked over at Sam who held Matthew in his arms and gave him the brightest smile he'd ever seen. She gingerly looped her arm through his right one and laid her head on his shoulder. 

"I love you, Samuel Norman Seaborn." 

"And I love you my darling. We are finally that happy little twisted family." 

"You remembered." 

"Mara, I commit ever word you say to memory. When we're apart, all I need to do is close my eyes and you're there." 

"Sam, every day I fall in love with you all over again. If I ever claim in a fit of rage that I hate you, remind me of this moment." 

"Do you ever worry about how blessed we are?" 

"You mean that God has given us so much that we will always be his punching bag? Yeah, but then I remember what Margaret said to me our first New Year's Eve while you were still in a coma. We are a grand romance, Sam, which means our love will always conquer." 

"The two of you are going to make me vomit," Josh replied with a big goofy grin on his face. 

"You're just bitter man because we picked Toby," Mara teased. 

"I thought giving birth would have systematically taken care of Dragon Lady, but Iguess evil is always evil." 

"A leopard never changes her spots," Mara chuckled. 

The limo stopped and Mara found herself choking back emotions as Josh helped her out of the car. They stopped at the guardhouse to show Matthew off to Bill who was on duty. Sam smiled the second he stepped foot in the house because he could smell freshly brewed coffee. 

"Jenna, we're home." 

She came out of the kitchen munching on a brownie. "Hey, I'm going to go swimming. See ya later." 

"I'm going the head home and stop Donna from rushing right over." 

"OK, We'll see you tomorrow, Josh," Mara replied. 

Sam gave Mara a saucy look, which she laughed at. "In your dreams, loverboy. I want a nice long shower and a nap. You can watch Matthew." 

Sam looked down at his son who was still peacefully sleeping. "Son, you're going to have to learn that only Daddy has an all access pass to Mommy." There was no reaction as Sam thought, 'Yup, ignored by yet another member of this household.' 


	5. Professor Seaborn

Georgetown University, Tuesday 11 am 

Sam studied the faces of his eighty students and tried to keep his grin to himself. A quarter of them looked like they rather be anywhere else in the world and a a few were resting their heads on the table in front of them. He noticed a clique of pretty girls who were devouring him in their minds. He saw a pretty blonde haired girl sitting up front writing on a yellow legal pad. He liked her immediately and chuckled when she tore a page off and chucked it in the garbage on the podium. 

"Two points." Sam said to get her attention. 

She looked up and he instantly thought of Jenna. 

"Professor Seaborn?" She asked after he was still looking at her. 

"Oh sorry, you look a lot like an older version of my daughter with glasses." 

"Ah, my name is Amanda and I'm going to get an A in your class." 

"If you are anything like my Jenna, you'll get an A+ out of me and be arguing that there is such a grade as 110 percent." 

"I think I'm going to enjoy this class, but I reserve the right to change my mind." 

"Now you sound like my wife, Amanda." 

"Thank you, I think. It's 11:05, you better start class." 

Sam cleared his throat loudly and looked up at his students. "Welcome to Ethics or as I call it, How to live with yourself in politics and law. I'm Sam Seaborn but most of you probably know me as the Canadian Ambassadors husband. A few of you will remember I was President Bartlet's Deputy Communication Director for 8 years. You can call me Sam or Professor Seaborn. My office hours will be on the course syllabus that is being passed around. I'm also teaching this course on Thursdays from 9-12 so if you ever miss this class you know where to go. Now if you'd all read the passage on the board, I'd like to begin our discussion. 

Ginger watched the proceedings from the very back left corner of the lecture hall. She smiled at the fact that he couldn't remain still. He paced up and down the dais occasionally half sitting on the top of his desk to listen to a longer argument. She also didn't miss the sighs of the young female students in front of her. While they were amusing her, she figured she'd give them a break and identify herself. She waited until Sam had wrapped up the class 20 minutes early. 

"Ladies, while I agree that Sam is a hottie, he's still deeply in love after all these years. I'm his son's God mother and his long time assistant. Day dreaming your way thorough this class is an excellent way to get an F. The name is Ginger by the way." 

Most of the girls looked highly offended but one took her time packing up. "So you worked in the White House then?" 

"I served at the pleasure of President Bartlet and Sam for eight years." 

"How do you get a job in the White House?" 

"It's all about timing and a great deal of luck to tell you the truth. I started off in a Bartlet for America office as a volunteer. Toby Ziegler heard how I handled a media request and put me on staff. Sam and I always got along really well so when Sam's assistant left I told him I was his. However, doing well in this course will be a great way to ensure Sam never forgets your name or face. If you are really interested in politics let Sam know. What is your name?" 

"Angie." 

"Nice to meet you Angie. If you want to be behind the scenes take me to lunch one day. If you want to be in charge, go see Sam." 

"I'll think about it, I have some reading to do tonight. See you next week." 

Ginger made her way down to Sam. "Not so bad boss, I didn't fall asleep." 

"Cute Ginger, you want to come home with me?" 

"Sure, Ryan was going to the British Embassy thingy tonight on Mara's behalf." 

"Looks like you devastated the Sam Seaborn fan club." 

"Yes, beats having Mara do it herself. The girl that lingered is Angie and I think she actually enjoys politics." 

"Good to know, how do you think I did?" 

"Pretty good, it was obvious that you were a little nervous at the beginning but after about half an hour your were in your element. I think you should open each lecture with a little story. It will draw them all in. You tell good stories Sam, use your strengths." 

"How about the one where you shredded the President's speech instead of copying it?" He asked with an evil grin. 

"I like the one where you brought Laurie's pager in better." Ginger retorted. 

"I'll back off if you do." 

"Deal." 

A huge grin spread across Sam's face when he opened the door. The living room and entrance hall had the distinct aroma of freshly baked brownies Sam left Ginger behind as he entered the kitchen just in time to watch the caramel melt on top of the brownies. He wrapped his arms around his wife's waist and left a tender kiss on her neck. Mara moved him away from the hot pan and leaned against the counter to engage him in several searing kisses. Ginger looked at the couple as she poured herself a glass of juice. She heard Matthew cry and told them she'd go get him. 

Matthew smiled when he saw Ginger and cooed gently when she picked him up. She checked his diaper and then brought him downstairs where Sam quickly held him. 

"So how did your day go son?" Sam asked with a grin as Matthew made a series of sounds in response. 

Sam told Matthew about his day with the assumption that Mara was listening. It wasn't until Ginger nudged him with her foot that he realized Mara was fast asleep. 

"Did you take multiple naps after Sam was born?" He asked. 

"No, I occasionally took a nap when Sam was sleeping but in general no. Mar is probably just tired." 

"She is always tired, she goes for 2-3 hour power naps several times a day. The more she sleeps the more she craves sleep." 

"Maybe it's how post pardum is working its way out. For two months after Sam was born, I was highly emotional. Don't forget Sam, I was a lot younger than Mara too." 

"Every time, I suggest she should mention it to Abbey or Maureen she gets all defensive." 

"So would I Sam. Give her a break! She's 42 and the mother of an infant. I'd shut up if I were you. Why don't you let her sleep and order a pizza. I'm going to go pick up Sam from her play date with Michael at Ainsley's.". 

"Something is wrong with her Ginger, I can't put my finger on it but she's off." 

"Sweetie, she's a new mother, you're lucky she's still talking to you. Please give her a break." 

Since he was getting no where with Ginger, Sam agreed to back off for the time being. When she left he got on his computer and crossed referenced sleeping and depression. He printed off two articles that he thought Mara should read and left them in the kitchen for her. The next morning Mara took one look at them and pitched them out. She figured Sam had printed the wrong article and was leaving them as scrap paper. 

Two weeks later 

Sam told Mara to go look at his computer. She sat down in the study looking at the screen without anything registering. She was about to ask him why, when she noticed Dani was on line. She spent half an hour chatting with her sister and shut the computer down. 

"So what do you think?" Sam asked as she changed for bed after putting the baby down for the night. 

"About what?" She yawned. 

"The articles I've printed for you and the study I left for you to read on my computer." 

"I have no idea what you are talking about Sam. I sat down and saw that Dani was online so I chatted with her." 

Sam muttered a few choice words, got up and showed Mara the article again. She read the title and glared at him 

"Tell you what, you get off my ass and I won't kill you in your sleep!" 

"I don't think denying there is a problem..." 

"Sam, there is no problem. I'm 42 going on 43 and I have an infant to take care of. I'm tired end of discussion, unless you want to write a dissertation from Josh's!" 

"Whoa, I'm concerned about your health and..." 

"Sam, you're paranoid, maybe you should go see someone about it! I actually resent the fact that you think I'm at risk. I'm stronger than you buddy! You have three miscarriages and give birth without drugs then we can start to compare notes. Go sleep on the couch!" 

Sam got up quickly to avoid a smack upside the head. He took one last look at he left the room and found Mara looked more upset than angry. He knelt down beside her and held her in his arms. 

"What's wrong baby?" 

"Sam, I'm not some fragile little flower. I don't need to be watched for signs of breakage. When we met I had certain issues that I worked through, I'm far from weak Sweetie. I need you to recognize that I'm the rock of this relationship. You're more vulnerable than I am. I'm strong enough to take on the entire population of this country when you run for President. Eleanor was stronger than Franklin, Abbey is stronger than Jed. I'm the Federal Reserve and like it or not, you're the bank down the street with the 60 year old guard. So stop worrying about my mental health." 

"OK, I love you and I ...sorry." 

"Sam, chaos, turmoil, strife and conflict are our lives. I advise nations on how to control situations. I dream of peace and I'm an expert at war. If I can handle that without breaking, ... 

apology accepted. Now get back in to bed before you wake Matthew up. Jenna was going to call at eight. You can talk to her because I'm probably going to still be asleep." 

"When were you talking to her?" 

"She called me on break, she got the highest marks for her menu planned with puff pastry. She did this asparagus chicken puff appetizer, a seafood puff pie and a trio of desserts. She was making me hungry. I think you'll hear all about her ode to ginger." 

"You are going to face stiff competition in the kitchen." 

"Yes but I never trained at the Cordon Bleu so I win. I wish Jenna wasn't as ambitious as me. Over drive type A is pretty lonely, I wish ..." 

"Me too but we have to let her soar. At least God gave her an amazing flight instructor when he sent you to earth first." 

"That's sweet Sam." 

"I know she was dating some high school senior. She told me. You run interference far to well dear." 

"Hey all that international relations training can be used for personal peace keeping. Did she tell you who he was?" 

"No, she said she'd leave that to you. Which really freaked me out." 

"He's a good kid. Strong head on his shoulders. It's very obvious that he cares a great deal about her. He suggested to Jenna that meeting me would be a good idea. He doesn't take her around his friends because he doesn't' want her to be teased. I like him Sam." 

"So what is his name?" 

"Jacob." 

"Mara, now I'm really worried what is his full name." 

"Jacob Helper." 

"Helper...no, as in ...Senator Helper Wright?" 

"Umm yeah." 

"He is a nasty ..." 

"Sam, Daddy is scared of me. I know he's a jackass but his son isn't. He hasn't introduced Jenna to him because he didn't want to be the lead in a modern interpretation of Romeo and Juliet. His mother is nice, we are having lunch next week." 

"Mara..." 

"Sam, leave Jenna to me. You can worry about raising Matthew to be a gentleman, like his daddy." 

"Mara how tired are you because I'm not sleeping tonight." 

One look at Sam melted her heart and she knew she had to come clean for Sam's sake and her own. She crawled out of bed, gently placing Tedzy on the fainting couch. She knew she had about twenty minutes of relative silence from Sam to organize her case study. She wasn't ready so she tried stalling tactic one. 

"Sweetie, I'm going to go make myself a hot chocolate, do you want one?" 

"That would be lovely. Are there any brownie's left.?" 

Mara knew that Sam was on to her and she knew forty minutes was his ultimate line in the sand. 

"Just to save your heart, Sam I think I need to talk to you then seek professional help." 

Sam couldn't help letting his jaw drop. He quickly looked up at his wife and breathed a sigh of relief. He knew something vital was wrong but he had every confidence that they'd be fine if Mara was being so astonishingly open so early on. 

"How about I help you in the kitchen I won't say..." 

"Are you ready for me in slow melt down mode?" 

"Yeah." 

"Then you don't have to be silent. I'll make this as painless as possible for us both." 

"Deal, I'll get the baby monitor and meet you downstairs." 

Sam listened while Mara focussed on making hot chocolate.. He knew from experience that painless to Mara meant she couldn't make eye contact. 

"Mara in five look at me." 

She practiced her slow inhaling, exhaling. And counted to six. When she looked up, she saw the loving, patient face of the man she loved more than life. She knew there was no need to list every sign that something was wrong. She knew Sam would go to therapy with her. She knew Josh would call Stanley for her, for them all 

"I love you Sam. Do you want to know when I knew something was wrong for sure?" 

"Yes." 

"Ainsley came over with a name tag on. I kept calling her Donna. She has been my sounding board the last month. We've decided I'm suffering from post pardum. " 

"Then all you need to do is go talk to someone, let Maureen or Abbey help you." 

"I thought maybe Josh could call Stanley for me." 

"Mara, this is a common problem, there is no need for cloak and dagger." 

"I guess you're right. I'll call Maureen in the morning. Now what were you saying about your students?" 

"They got their first assignment today and you'd think it was written in Greek.. I said write a 5-7 page essay and I got five questions about length or word count. Some times I wonder if I'd be better off teaching a class of ten year olds." 

"You're just jealous that Ginger made it perfectly clear that you were married and no little hottie has offered sex for grades." 

"Ha very funny. " 

"I thought so, are you having a hot chocolate or not?" 

"No I want one." 

Mara lifted the pot off the back burner and filled two mugs adding marshmallows for Sam. They drank in silence each one lost in their own thoughts. Sam was wondering why Mara kept silent for so long while she thought about the fun Jenna was having in Paris. She picked up his empty mug , washed it and put it away. 

"I could lie and tell you to come to bed for sex but I'm not in the mood." 

"To lie or have sex?" Sam teased. 

"Cute, Seaborn. You either come with me now or go directly to the couch." 

"I'm coming don't worry." 

The weekend went by in a blur of outings and diaper changes. When Mara saw CJ waiting at Lick's for dinner she hugged her.

"What's that all about?" CJ asked amusedly

"Finally, someone I don't have to change a diaper for. I swear Matthew has a never ending supply of crap inside him."

CJ laughed, "I take it he's with Daddy right now? You need to make Sam change more diapers"

"Actually, he's really great about it. He smells him faster than I do. Sam's been marking his first set of papers so I've been doing more."

"Where are they?"

"Still at my office. Sam was going to change him and come over."

"I've got some gossip for you."

"Spill CJ."

"Carol is dating a guy that works for HUD. I think his name is Bart or Marc."

"CJ, you've been out of the loop too long if you can't get the name right," Mara teased

"Speaking of the press...we need to hold a press conference if you want to take your center of excellence national. Teachers need to know about the vast resources that you're making available to them and Congress needs to see that someone finally put their money where their mouth is. This should be a huge White House moment."

"When Sam runs I don't want people coming back to say, 'so that's why she used some of her money'. I don't want to announce this. I just want to make teachers' lives easier and allow all students to have the same resources available to them. Luc in Toledo should have the same as Doug in Beverly Hills."

"Right now, just the Beltway knows we exist. You made me President and I'm telling you we need more PR to make your dream a reality. Every school in this country needs to know they can fill out a application and request what they need, whether be it uniforms for the basketball team, art supplies or anything in between."

"Are we capable of opening nation wide this quickly?" Mara inquired.

"It would require about a months work. You could announce right around your Thanksgiving."

"Give me a report on what you need done and I'll seriously consider it."

"Jenna called me yesterday just to tell me she was working with the best Belgian dark chocolate she'd ever tasted. I blame you for her cruel taunting!"

"Yes she's turned into an foodie elitist. Half the class hates her and the other half is scared of her. I'm starting to understand why I had so few friends growing up."

"She's never going to be Miss Popularity or Prom Queen."

"She doesn't care. All she cares about now is Matthew, cooking, Jacob and her 'crew in DC' as she calls all of you. We get a mention thanks to Matthew."

"Jenna's growing up. We should be happy Jacob isn't all she cares about."

"True, she's not your typical trouble making teen, which makes her dangerous to society." Mara chuckled.

"Let's order. I'm starving. I still can't get over Sam letting her date Jacob."

"We sort of didn't leave him much room to object."

Mara and CJ sat down in a booth and ordered while waiting for Sam and Matthew to join them. After dinner they all went back to CJ's place to see her newly painted living room 


	6. Pool Party

Sam smiled when he saw his son being pushed to him in the pool. The 'little man', as he was often called, loved the pool and his floating harness ring. Matthew was generating as much splash as he could and started giggling wildly as the drops descended on his father. 

"Daaady!" he exclaimed. 

Mara gave him a kiss on the back as she pushed him closer to his father. She maneuvered him right in front of his father and greeted her husband with fiery kiss. 

"Keep kissing me like that, baby, and we'll conceive another one right here." 

"In front of all our guests? I think not. Amuse your son. I want to encourage more of our guests to join us in the pool." 

"Push me around pool Daddy." 2 year old Matthew exclaimed. 

Mara had grown to love the Bay House as much as Sam and they both loved entertaining friends there. Jenna learned how to sail there, and Jacob was often invited along. They had been dating for 2 years and showed no signs of breaking up. Jacob was in his first year of architecture studies at Georgetown. He had no problem crawling around the floor to play with Matthew, which made both Sam and Mara consider him family. 

Matthew had caught sight of the strawberry, his favourite fruit, on CJ's glass. 

"Aunty CJ I want strawberry now!" He shouted. 

CJ moved from the chair she was sitting in and put the berry in his mouth. 

"Tanks" 

"So much charm you have, my little one," CJ replied. 

"I know. Another berry?" 

"I'll go ask your Mom if you can have more." 

"No need for Mommy," He replied with an impish grin. 

"Nice try little guy, I'm going to ask her anyway." 

Mara cut up a few strawberries for her son. She talked Josh into making a few drinks and managed to get Donna and Ainsley in the pool. After checking on dinner she jumped into the pool. All she had to do was call him and Matthew turned himself around to get to her. Sam forcefully pushed the ring and his son floated away laughing. She lifted him out of his ring and gave him several kisses before walking over to splash some water up at Josh's feet. 

"Hey!" 

"It's just your feet. Stop being such a wuss." Mara taunted. 

"I prefer to stay dry, thank you very much." 

"Kill joy, where is Donna? She was in the pool a few minutes ago." 

"She had a headache so she went upstairs to lay down." 

"Ah, you know you'd get more time with Matthew if you showed some amphibian tendencies." 

"We can have quality time that does not revolve around water." 

"Josh if you are worried about you scar..." 

"That's not it, I just don't feel like getting wet today Mermaid girl. You look like you're trying to do a Mrs. Robinson on young Jacob.". 

"Not funny Joshua, I'm sicking Ainsley on you." 

"Whoa I was only joking." 

"Or we could tell Donna you are fascinated by my cleavage again." 

"That's a given." Josh retorted with a smirk. 

"Fine be anti social." Mara said with an evil grin that sent Josh running for cover." 

"Were you going to splash Josh dear?" 

"No, I knew the threat alone would work." She replied. 

Sam gave her a big kiss then swung Matthew and the float so he could touch his son. He poured water on his arms and they both enjoyed listening to him cooing. Every so often he'd smack the water and nail one of his parents. The third time Mara got splashed she decided it was time for his nap. She got out of the water first and took him into her arms, wrapping his ducky towel all around him. She gave the duck head a gently tweak as she fitted the hood onto his head. She brought him into the house and checked in on her guests. 

Toby and Mandy were in a lively debate with Abbey and Jed. Charlie and Zoey were sitting around the kitchen island watching Jenna put the finishing touches on appetizers. Jacob was helping her by washing dishes as they came his way. 

"Hi squirt." Jenna said to her brother. 

"Matthew not a squirrel" He declared. 

"Not squirrel silly, squirt. It means you are little and like squirting water on people." Jenna added 

"Oh, any nuts then I can be squirrel?" 

"You've eaten enough my little one, time to get you out of this wet bathing suit and your little swimmers diapers." 

An unmistakable sound followed that declaration and ten seconds later everyone was holding their nose, 

"I farted." Matthew announced with glee and pride. 

"You little stinker you're coming up to change now." Mara stated trying not to laugh with the gang. 

Matthew was heard singing a song about a fart and stinker all the way upstairs. 

"Boy when he rips one..." Jacob commented. 

"He climbed into my bed last night, gave me a good night kiss then let a huge fart go as he was leaving my bed. The little stinker knows he has powers already." Jenna replied.. 

"My Mom always hated that word. She preferred poop." Zoey laughed. 

"He should be registered as a biochemical lethal weapon. Where has Charlie gone?" Jenna asked. 

"I think he went to the bathroom." 

"Well I've done all the necessary food prep. Why don't we wait for Charlie and go down to the dock." 

"I hear you are an excellent captain Jenna." 

"Thanks, I love how free I feel when it's sails up, full speed ahead. The winds around here are amazing. We are protected in a little cove but as soon as you leave it there are always good strong winds." 

"Have you taken the boat out alone?" 

"No Zoey, I'm not allowed to, which is fine with me. Charlie grab your drink we are heading down to the boat." 

"I need to be invited up here more often. I've yet to set sail on that sail boat." 

"I'll let Dad know." Jenna said as she took Jacob's hand and lead the party outside. 

A few minutes later Mara came downstairs with Matt who had insisted on dressing himself. He was wearing blue shorts with a Yankees T shirt and a Mets cap. Mara was expecting a war of conversion to begin and wondered if Matt was actually doing it on purpose because he found it hilarious when Toby and Josh argued about anything. When she stepped out to pool side she noticed Sam getting out of the water. He still made her weak in the knees. She watched as he put a towel around his waist and did a quick towel dry of his hair. He spotted his wife and son and headed straight for them. 

"What was that you said about getting rid of our guests sexy?" 

"I wish, your party is once again a huge success. Holy crap Mara didn't you even look at what our son is wearing?" 

"Crap, bad Daddy says bad word." 

"Sorry buddy but crap is only, I mean it's barely..." 

"Bad Daddy." Mara replied and gave him a bemused look. 

"Who's stupid idea was that again?" Sam asked rhetorically. 

When Matthew was only days old Mara had called the Holland Ambassador a shit while trying to breast feed Matthew .Sam told her she was setting a bad example with her language. He decided to set up a swear jar where every curse word cost a dollar. Mara agreed and put a twenty in a jar and told Sam not to bother her. When confronted about her language Jenna said she understood why it was important and put a ten dollar bill in the jar. The result was that language at home had improved but it was always Sam who happened to be caught by his son. 

"You can admit defeat and just put a fifty in." Mara chuckled. 

"Give me money." Matthew demanded. 

"The money goes in a jar smarty pants not your pocket." 

"Be more fun if I kept it. I could buy a ride on the speed car." 

Matthew adored the moving car in the food court of the local mall. He always had to have a ride and he knew it cost a dollar. Only Jenna could hustle him out of the area without going on it and she claimed she didn't promise him something in return. Sam and Mara didn't believe her. 

"Nice try Mister but I don't think so. Oh he insisted on dressing himself. " Mara answered. 

"Leave it to your son to innocently start the fireworks early." 

"He is my son Sam, I think he knows what he is doing. He likes watching adults argue. I think our precious baby boy is already a s h i t disturber." 

Sam and Mara walked out to their guests laughing and the looks on both Josh and Toby's face were priceless. Pride at first seeing their teams then pure disbelief that the other teams was present too. 

"All I'm saying is he picked out his own clothes and wouldn't listen to me." Mara announced. 

"To bad we didn't have a camera to record the look on their faces." Sam whispered. 

Mara put Matthew down and he made a mad dash to his Grandpa Jed. Matthew loved Jed and always wanted Jed to tell him a story. Jed loved being able to share all his stories with not just a captive but a willing audience. The little splinter groups that formed during the day all gathered at six for dinner. Mara and Jenna had planned an elegant but finger friendly feast including shish kabobs, mini crab cakes, spinach and feta brochette and exotic pitta pizzas. 

A firework display lit up the bay of Anne Arundel county thanks to Mara and Sam providing enough for a 25 minute show. The fact that everyone was worn out by the end of the display proved the day was a grand success. As Mara waved good bye to their last guest she was thrilled Jenna wanted to make breakfast for everyone staying. It meant she could sleep in since Matthew work up around 9 which is almost unheard of for a toddler. He was a bundle of energy that required a lot of beauty sleep. 


	7. Untangling Lights

December 2011 

Sam Seaborn watched his wife work the room. He suddenly caught her eye, she smiled at him rasing 2 fingers; the code for we can leave in 20 minutes. He had to admit the Austrian Embassy looked very festive with evergreen trees decorated in white and red lights. It just didn't feel like 2 weeks before Christmas. 

"So what are you up to these days Samuel?" 

Sam whipped around and was greeted by the current deputy communications director, Thomas Deveraux. Sam wasn't overly fond of the man that stood in front of him. He was very dedicated to his job but was a notorious butt kisser. 

"I'm playing the dutiful role of an ambassador's husband. I'm a father of a 4 year old, and a thorn in the side of a 17 year old. In my spare time I teach at Georgetown and occasionally hit the speaker's circuit. Why are you here?" 

"A friend's friend needed a date with a title and I was available. Do you miss not having a title?" 

"Are you serious? Last time I checked husband, father, professor were pretty impressive titles." Sam replied calmly. 

"Sorry. I didn't mean it that way." 

"Thomas, you get 8 years in the White House if you're lucky. In the end, your legacy is what you tried to accomplish. The title means nothing if you were just there. Now, if you'll excuse me I see my wife and we haven't danced in a while." 

Mara felt a cool hand on her exposed back and felt the tiny S he gently carved into her back with his nail. The hand moved up further tracing her spine with two fingers before gently playing in the ultra fine baby hairs at the back of her neck. 

"Lara, please tell me that my husband is behind me." 

"Yes, he is." 

"Sam, you remember Lara from passport control?" 

"Yeah. Hi Lara. What're you doing here?" 

"I date an Austrian Embassy accountant. I'll leave the two of you alone and go find my own date." 

"You missed me that much ?" Mara asked as she looked into her husband's eyes. 

"Deveraux cornered me and I couldn't take it. He asked what it was like to no longer have a title, as if that mattered." 

"Ah he's just a big old donkey's behind. How about we have one last dance, then head home..." 

The music had changed to the Vienna Woods Waltz, Mara's favourite, so they danced one more waltz before leaving. A light snow had started during the evening and coated the outside world in a thin blanket of white. The trees trimmed in red and white lights outside the Embassy gave a festive twist and provided a certain glow. 

"Isn't it romantic Sam?" 

"Of course. We are together and romance follows us. You look magnificent tonight, especially since your dress is the same emerald colour as your eyes." 

"Thank you darling, but somehow I think you can't resist the cleavage factor either." 

"True, and I want that dress to be a pool around your ankles so let's get home fast." 

"I'm not in the mood, Sam. I'm really quite tired. There's no sense in waking Matthew up just to put him to bed in our place. Ainsley said she'd keep him all night." 

"That is so unfair! We have the house completely to ourselves and we aren't taking advantage. I believe there's a law against that." 

"Cute, show me the law and I'll agree I'm breaking it." 

"You're no fair Mara." 

"Sam, you've known that since the day you met me." 

"Jenna'd better be home when we get there," Sam said 

"It's 10:40. I told her she had to be home by 11:30. Don't forget, we've only had minor curfew problems with her. It's not like she's coming home at 3 am." 

"I know, but I still think she's too young to be dating." 

"Samuel Norman, I was dating at 16 and Jenna's 17. She's the right age to date. She only had Jacob over here when she was younger and Jacob didn't try to pressure her. She loves him, Sam, and there is nothing we can do about it." 

"Actually there is plenty we can do about it," Sam replied. 

"Sam, the fatherly love is adorable, but I repeat we will not dare alter the course of true love. You can tease me about watching sappy movies all you want but Jenna met a young man worthy of her." 

The next morning when Sam leaned over to kiss Mara she asked him to get the Christmas tree. She left work early, came straight home and found Sam wrestling with a set of coloured lights. 

Jenna was putting another string around Matthew which delighted him 

"Look, Mommy! I'm like the tree." 

Mara crouched down beside him and touched one of the lights. She gave him a kiss and suggested Jenna find a better way to untangle the lights. 

"He's a pretty effective cylinder, Mara. You tell him which way to turn and presto! Untangled lights ready to go on the tree." 

"He enjoys it, honey, and I can use all the help I can get untangling these lights." 

"Samuel Norman Seaborn, what am I going to do with you?" 

"Kiss me." 

Mara shook her head while closing the gap between them. She indulged her husband with a long romantic kiss. 

"Mommy and Daddy are sucking face," Matthew announced. 

"Hey where did that come from?" Mara asked. 

"Uncle Josh." 

Jenna was killing herself laughing, Sam was chuckling when Matthew decided to laugh himself. 

"Uncle Josh and I will be having words about this," Mara stated giving Sam a look. 

"Why don't you go change and come join us? Jenna already made dinner," Sam replied calmly. 

Mara went upstairs without further comment while Jenna and Sam exchanged a look that said, 'phew she's in a good mood today'. By the time Mara came back downstairs, all the lights were on the tree and Jenna was putting plates of pasta on the table. 

"Sorry I took so long, but I got beeped to weigh in on a international matter. The tree looks great. What type of pasta is this Jenna?" 

"Penne a la vodka." 

"I'm famished," Sam stated as he sat down and took a mouthful, "Very delicious." 

After dinner, Mara and Sam brought up the Christmas decorations from the wine cellar. Matthew loved hearing the stories of special ornaments and got to hang a few unbreakable ornaments on the lower half of the tree. With his arm extended as far as it would go he made it 1/3 of the way up the tree. Visitors to the mansion would now be subjected to Matthew's story of how he decorated the Christmas tree. After a hot chocolate, Matthew let it be known that he did a lot of work that day and was retiring for the evening. 

Sam followed his son upstairs and helped him get into his PJ's. Once Matthew was snuggled in bed, Sam asked him what story he'd like to hear. 

"Tell me the one where Mommy is a fire breathing dragon and Uncle Josh is a fry from a happy meal." 

Surprised Sam asked, "How do you know that?" 

"Uncle Josh tells it to me when I stay with him and Aunty Donna." 

"Well...Uncle Josh will have to share that story with me since I don't know it. How about I tell you the story of Mommy and I in the Bahamas?" 

"At the Atlantic hotel?" 

"Close buddy, it's the Atlantis Hotel. Mommy joined Grandpa Jed on a trip to a Caribbean summit..." 

Sam told his son a heavily-edited story that focused greatly on the pools and waterslide through the shark habitat. After the story, Sam gave his son a kiss on the forehead, told him he loved him and left the room. Matthew had always been a very good sleeper and fell into heavy sleep quickly. The bookshelf in his room could fall over and Matthew wouldn't hear a thing. 

A few days later, Washington got its first official snow storm. Classes were canceled which allowed Sam to spend the day with Matthew. Sam made them both a bowl of porridge and asked Matthew if he wanted to make snow angels and a snowman in the front yard, knowing he'd say yes. 

"Daddy, the snowman is done and I'm getting cold. Can we go in for hot chocolate?" 

"Sure, my love. Do you want marshmallows and whipped cream?" 

"With cinnamon in the hot chocolate like Mommy does it?" 

"I think I can fulfill that request." 

"This is fun, Daddy. I like spending time with you." 

"I love spending time with you, too, Matthew." 

After the hot chocolate, Sam picked up a large treasury of Christmas stories and pulled Matthew on to his lap. Sam read him four stories before he fell asleep. Knowing that the days of his son wanting to fall asleep in his arms were fleeting, Sam closed his own eyes and enjoyed fatherhood. 

Mara found the little scene in front of her so sweet she took a picture. She was surprised when Sam spoke to her. 

"Thought I was asleep, didn't you?" 

"Yeah, I did. I really like the snowman outside. I think it needs a mate, though." 

"We could go out after dinner and rectify the situation." 

"Works for me. I'm going to go make dinner. You want anything?" 

"No, I'm perfectly happy being Matty's bed." 

Mara smiled and went to make dinner. 

It was a joyous Christmas time in the Seaborn household, full of parties and get-togethers. New Year's Eve was spent quietly at the Bay house. The new year brought health and happiness for all. 

Jenna started taking classes at Georgetown. Sam signed the same medical forms for admission that Abbey had for Zoey years before. For him, it was an eerie feeling, to say the least. Sam wasn't the only one flashing back to a former life. Mara had the distinct feeling that politics was once again going to be knocking on their door and prayed she was wrong. She wanted her husband to herself during his 40s; she was willing to share her husband with the United States in his fifties. She barely blinked four months later when Leo and Andi showed up at the mansion door. 

"This isn't a social visit, is it?" Mara asked with an sense of doom. 

"Is Sam in?" Leo asked after giving Mara and kiss and a hug. 

"You're looking good, Andi. It's been too long," Mara said as she hugged her. 

Mara closed the door and went to the stairs. She yelled for Sam that he had company and left to get everyone drinks. She poured herself a double. 

"Leo, Andi, what a surprise. What are you doing here together?" Sam asked. 

Leo replied simply, "Sam, it's time." 


	8. The Knock

April 2012 

"Leo, what do you mean, 'it's time,'? Hi Andi." 

"Sam, Senator Wilikes will be stepping down for family reasons. We want you to take over," Leo replied. 

"How long is left in his term? Come in and have a seat." Mara said somberly. 

"Two and a half years," Andi said as she sat down on the couch. 

"Why don't you do it, Andi?" 

"I don't want to give up my seat in Congress and this is your way in." 

"Mara and I thought we'd do this in our fifties, not forties." 

"Sam, you've got to take the opportunities when they come along. Seize the day and all that crap." 

Sam chuckled, "Mara and I have to talk about this. Can I get back to you in a few days?" 

"We need an answer by tomorrow morning," Andi almost whispered. 

"Well, Sam, I knew this day would be coming, so I'm in favour of it," Mara said, trying to be gung-ho about it. 

"Such enthusiasm. I know you lie; you secretly want me to say no." 

"Of course I do, but then you'd never be President and I don't know how I'd live knowing that I held you back. This is the time for American heroes...responsible government can be a reality... schools should be palaces...we will eradicate cancer in ten years." 

"That's the practice speech you worked out years ago." 

"It still holds water, Seaborn." 

"Matty is only four. He's used to having me around and I don't want to disappoint him." 

"Sam, he'll get over it. There are ways of running an office so smoothly you can almost not be there." 

"Mara, I can't be a part-time politician." 

"You wouldn't have to be. Two and a half years isn't that long, Sam." 

"It's what comes after the two and a half years that disturbs me." 

"It would be election time. You can go from the Senate to the Oval," Mara replied. 

"She's right, Sam. The timing on this couldn't have been better if we tried," Leo added. 

"Would you really vote for a Presidential candidate with two and a half years in the Senate and was Deputy Communications Director for 8 years?" 

"If it was you, I would," Andi replied. 

Sam looked at Mara and saw a little sadness reflected in her eyes. He asked her to go into the kitchen with him so they could discuss it in private. Mara told him that the timing sucked for them, but it was politically perfect. She also assured him while sharing him would be a pain in the ass, she'd survive. 

"Are you positive, sweetie?" Sam asked. 

"I'm positive... Senator." 

Sam pulled her into his arms and gave her a long slow kiss. Afterwards, Sam went back into the living room to tell Andi and Leo a decision was made. Sam would get the Senator's seat on Ways and Means and Leo assured him he'd have no trouble getting a seat on Foreign Affairs from there. Andi and Leo stayed for two hours outlining how the transition would work. As they were leaving, Jenna and Jacob returned well in advance of her curfew. 

"Hi Uncle Leo. Hi Andi. Jacob, I don't think you've met Andi before." 

"We've met a few times, Jen. Hello again." 

"Hi Jacob. Good boy, you've returned our princess before her curfew." 

"Hi Leo, I'm glad you approve." 

"Mara, can we go chill in the backyard?" 

"Sure, Jenna. I made lemonade. Bring it out with you and put on the patio lights." 

"So much for sharing one lounge chair." Jenna replied with a smirk. 

"Are you trying to give Sam heart failure, smart ass!" Mara retorted. 

"Expect several inspections, young lady," Sam intoned. 

Once Andi and Leo had left, Sam went in the kitchen under the guise of getting more iced tea but he really just wanted to check on Jenna. He was extremely proud of her, trusting her judgment but remembering all too well the power of hormones. Mara was lounging on the couch when he returned. 

"So I take it they aren't on top of each other? Don't even attempt to say you didn't notice. You're cute when you go all medieval on her." 

"Yeah, well you're going to be a Senate wife. Get ready for the luncheons." 

"Is that all you can come back at me with? Are you feeling OK?" Mara chuckled. 

"I'm going to miss Georgetown. I really liked teaching." 

"I know you do, you can always return to it after the Presidency. You'll do a great job, Sam. I didn't want to say this in front of Leo, but there can be a change in the plan that will serve Matty. You can run for a second term and get at least another 3 years. Five extra years will make our son 9." 

"Plus it would give me more experience for the Presidency." 

"I suggest we keep this little plan to ourselves until Leo comes around to say it's time again." 

"Yeah. I'd better call Ginger in the morning and let her know she's got a new job." 

"You should call Donna and ask her if she wants to be your issues director. It's the type of job she'd love." 

"Do you really think she'd want to work full time?" 

"She's pregnant Sam, until she gives birth I think she'd like to have a rewarding job." 

"Josh won't see it that way, he'll think I'm trying to steal her again." 

"Ah don't worry about him, he'll get over it fast enough. I do think you should get on the phone and tell our friends about your new job. Call Jed first, even though I'd be highly surprised that he didn't know what was going to happen." 

"He was probably behind it. I'm going to make the calls in the study. Check on Jenna." 

Mara ignored Sam, as she usually did when it came to chaperoning Jenna. She washed the glasses that were used and turned on the TV. She gave up channel surfing and was once again appalled 

at the lack of quality television. It suddenly dawned on her that their trip to Anguilla could be in jeopardy and it sent her straight upstairs. Mara and Sam had spent at least the middle two weeks in May vacationing there, at the very least. They had honeymooned in her opulent beach house and returned every year. 

"Samuel what about Anguilla?" She asked from the doorway. 

"Sam I can hear Mara. You better not miss Anguilla." Ginger laughed on the phone. 

"Sweetie, Ginger can hear you and rest assured I won't mess with Anguilla. You know how fond 

I am of the dress code there." 

"Tell Ginger I say hello." 

Mara wandered away and let Sam finish his conversation. He knew he'd find her in their bedroom. He looked out the window to check on Jenna and Jacob and found them kissing. 

"Sam give the kids some privacy." 

"You give them too much privacy. Someone has to look out for Jenna's virtue." 

"Jenna's virtue? Give me a break, Sam. Good thing I'm here to look out for your sanity." 

"I see what your doing, you are trying to avoid talking about my career change by inciting an argument about Jenna." 

"Yo Senator Pretty boy, that was not my intention but you just put me in the mood to go a few rounds." 

Sam ignored the pretty boy comment and smiled at her instead. "You know this Senate gig is going to be tough on you Mara." 

"I can handle it and it really won't be that disruptive. It's not like you were representing California. The bay house will just be used a little more. If I had a glass, I'd toast you and the great state of Maryland" 

"Somehow I think this is going to be more of an adjustment than you do." 

"For you it will be, but you'll just be home at seven every night instead of five." 

"I'll miss dinner." Sam replied sadly. 

"Some nights, yes you will. Sam, you may have to settle for dessert instead." 

"But Matty likes having dinner with both of us." 

"He'll have to adjust. It's not like you'll never be home in time for dinner." 

"A four year old shouldn't have to adjust." 

"Sam he's been adjusting since infancy. How many dinners have we missed already because of my job? It's not like you are going back to White House hours." 

"But..." 

"No buts Sam, it will become a new normal to Matthew. If you let Ginger run your office you'll make more dinners than you'll miss." 

"I guess." Sam replied sadly 

Mara leaned over and ran her hand through his hair. "You know your disappointment makes me love you even more. You're a great Dad Sam. Just remember it's quality not quantity." 

"Thanks, Donna is interested in the job. I invited her and Josh to dinner tomorrow." 

"How did Josh take it?" 

"He wanted to know if I needed a COS. I told him not yet. He was relived." 

"I don't blame him. He doesn't want to give up his golden goose TV career for anything less than the big game." 

"True, I think I've had enough excitement for one day. I'm calling it a night." 

"I'll join you shortly. I'm just going to tell Jacob goodnight and lock up." 

Sam picked up Tedzy, adjusted his bow and patted him on the head. He changed for bed and sat upright reading until Mara returned. He thought about the kind of politician he was going to be until he dozed off. 


	9. Moments in Time

October 2012

Sam looked at his watch and groaned. By the time he got home Mara would be fit to be tied. If she told him once, she told him twenty times, she wanted to leave Andrews at five on the dot.

She was going to LA with Jenna and Sam had to be home to look after Matthew. There was a knock on his door and Ginger entered.

"Ginger what ever it is I can't deal with it. I'm already late and Mara is going to kill me."

"I think you'll want to see this person." Ginger opened the door fully and Matthew strutted in.

"S'up dude?" Matthew asked.

"You are spending too much time with your Uncle Josh." Sam chuckled. "Hi buddy, what are you doing here?"

"Mommy didn't trust you to be home on time, so she dropped me off. I went to see Aunty Donna first. We've got a dinner invitation for tomorrow night."

"OK. So what do you want to do tonight?"

"Can we go to McDonald's then go get some ice cream?"

"Sure, just give me a few minutes to finish up here."

"Can I asked you a question Daddy?"

"Do you want to know what I do as a Senator?"

"Nah, Jenna told me once, it's a boring job "

"Hey!"

"Sorry but it's not like you have your own Embassy like Mommy or a TV show like Uncle Josh."

"What's your question squirt?"

"What were you doing to Mommy the other night?"

Sam dropped his pen on the desk. Images filtered across his mind and none of them were PG-rated. He thought for a few seconds how to best handle the question and decided to just find out what Matthew meant. Hopefully, it would be something completely innocent, but he had a feeling he wouldn't be that lucky.

"What did you see me doing?"

"It looked like you were going to twist Mommy's head off. You had one hand on her neck and the other on the top of her head."

Sam breathed a sigh of relief. "Your Mother had a sore neck so I was trying to massage the muscle. My hand was on top of her head just because that's where I put it."

"Oh. So can we go to McDonald's now?"

"Give me a minute, then we can go."

Sam picked up a few files he was going to work on over the weekend, closed his laptop and packed his briefcase. He checked to make sure his cell phone was on and tossed his jacket over his arm.

"Okay, buddy, we're out of here." Sam swung his office door open. "Ginger, we are off to create mayhem. Go home and give Sam a kiss from me."

"I've been ready to go for the last half-hour. You're lucky that Mara understands that you have no concept of time."

"With both of you nagging me constantly, I don't need it," Sam countered.

Ginger gave him a playful shove and rolled her eyes. "Matty, since you are more mature than your Daddy, keep an eye on him. Don't let him eat too much ice cream or he gets silly."

Matthew started giggling, "I'll make sure he behaves, Aunty Ginger."

In the car, Sam reassured him that his Mom and Jenna were not going to go to Disneyland and have lots of fun without him. Sam found a spot to park right near the door and waited for his son to jump out of the car.

"So, a cheeseburger Happy Meal with milk?" Sam assumed.

"I thought I'd try a Big Mac."

"Matty, it's bigger than your mouth!"

"It's bigger than your mouth, too, Daddy."

"Why don't you try a Quarter Pounder with Cheese."

"Jenna says they are too salty. I want a Big Mac!"

"Two Big Macs, a large fry, milk and an iced tea please."

Sam's heart melted when he saw the proud grin on his son's face. He was sure the tray would get more Big Mac than Matty and he wish he had a camera to save the moment for posterity. Matthew opened his milk and watched how his Dad attacked the huge hamburger. Sam turned it upside down which Matthew decided would not be a good idea. He simply squashed it down as much as he could and took a bite. He got more bun than anything else, but was proud of himself. Sam watched his son and was surprised that no more lettuce or sauce was dripping out than normal. When he was finished, Matthew licked his lips, just as his mother did and wiped his face.

"That was good Daddy. I like Big Macs."

"You did a pretty good job of eating it. Do you have room for ice cream?"

"I always have room for ice cream. Can we go to Sal's and get apple pie sundaes?"

"I guess so. You have your mother's appetite when it comes to dessert."

"Of course. It's the best part of the meal. Mommy hasn't made chocolate chip cookies in a while, do you think she will want to make some when she gets back?"

"If you ask her, I'm sure she'll make them soon."

"Jenna's cookies are really good but Mommy's always taste a bit better. How come you don't cook ?"

"I've made you mac and cheese, sandwiches and eggs before. I really don't need to cook with chefs the caliber of your Mom and Jenna in the house."

"I like helping in the kitchen. Jenna always lets me toss the salad. I'm really good at it."

"You do toss a fine salad, my boy," Sam replied with a grin.

"Oh yeah. Aunty Donna said we should bring dessert tomorrow. She said she wanted something chocolate."

"When doesn't Donna want something chocolate? The baby is going to come out of the womb and demand chocolate."

"Babies can't demand things, Daddy! You're being silly."

"Yep, that's me. Senator Silly."

After the sundaes Sam and Matthew returned home to play several games of Hungry Hungry Hippo. Sam was getting a headache from listening to the marbles bounce around in the plastic tray. He had also lost all five games so he was sick of playing.

"Matty, I think the hippos are tired. It's time to put them away."

"You aren't very good at the game, Daddy. I won every one."

"I'm better at games that require strategy. Why don't you go upstairs and read for a bit? I've got some work to do."

Sam had just laid a few files out on the coffee table when the phone rang. He looked at his watch and knew it had to be Mara.

"Hi baby."

"Hi, you were running late weren't you?"

"Yeah, Ginger already gave me a hard time."

"Yeah, well, I thought I had one son, not two. Do I need to teach you how to tell time?"

"Cute, Mara. So how was the flight?"

"Fine. I'm taking Jenna to the Sky Bar, so she's changing. I don't want to hear it, Sam."

"I wasn't going to say anything about taking a minor to a bar."

"Yeah, right. She's not going to drink. She's 18 and I want her to experience controlled nightlife. So what did you and Matty do tonight?"

"He forced me to play Hungry Hungry Hippo and beat me five games straight. We went to McDonald's and he ordered and ate a Big Mac..."

"A Big Mac! Sam, he's too little."

"He ate the whole thing, then had an apple pie sundae from Sal's. I sent him upstairs to read so I could get some work done."

"Sam, I'm sure the work is not that pressing. Go upstairs and read to Matty. You can work when he goes to bed."

"Yeah, I was only going to leave him up there for half and hour. So how long is your training session tomorrow?"

"I'm doing three of them at ten, noon and two. They'll be running to my satisfaction by Monday."

"I'm sure they will be or else they will have to face your wrath. No one wants that."

"True. Well, Jenna is ready so I'm off. Sweet dreams, my sweet. I'll call you around dinner time tomorrow."

"Donna invited us over for dinner."

"I'll call you there, then."

"Have fun, I love you."

"I love you too, bye."

Sam found Matty sitting on his bed eating M& M's and reading Curious George. Sam swooped down and took the last green one.

"Daddy, that's my last green one! You know green is my favourite."

"Green is my favourite too, buddy."

"I'm a child, thought. You can have two yellow ones instead."

"I'm sure there was more than one green one in the pack."

"Daddy, they are my M & M's and it's not nice to just take something without asking. Mommy would put you in a time out if she was home."

"Fine," he sighed, "Son, may I have this green M & M ?"

"No," Matthew plucked it out of Sam's hand and ate it. He then pointed to the rest of the candies on the bed. "You can have any of those."

Sam scooped up a handful and popped them into his mouth, "So. what story do you want me to read?"

"Can we play Go Fish instead?"

"Don't you ever get tired of that game?" Sam asked wearily.

"Nope, I love it. Deal, Dad.

After four games Sam put Matthew to bed and went back downstairs to finish his work. His eyes were closing while he worked so he headed up to bed after checking on Matthew.

July 28, 2015

"Matty, your mother is going to kill us both if you don't get out of the pool now and dry off!"

"Today's my birthday and I want to swim."

"You've been swimming all morning. Now, get out of the pool this instant."

"Why does Mommy insist on throwing me a big party? I just want to swim," Matthew whined as Sam gave him a towel.

"She's doing this for you, buddy. Don't you want to see Grandpa Jed and Grandma Abbey? You don't want to get a bunch of presents from everyone? Don't you want to eat all the delicious food your Mom and Jenna made?"

"Yeah."

"Then I suggest you get inside, put on some shorts and improve your attitude or you will find yourself in a time out for the rest of the day."

"Mom in a bad mood?"

"Yes, she is. Don't worry, it'll improve when the guests arrive. Until then, it'd be a good idea to stay on her good side."

"Thanks, Dad."

"Anytime, buddy. Now, scoot."

"Saaaaaam!"

"Coming, Mara!" Sam shouted back.

"You bellowed?"

"Yes. Can you go make sure the bar is ready to go?"

"Sure, you might want to change out of your PJ's."

"I will when Jenna gets her butt down here. It's her brother's 7th birthday, not a gala but apparently shorts and a T won't do."

Sam chuckled, "We raised a fashionista, a summa cum laude fashionista, but one nonetheless. Want me to go get her?"

"Naw, I'll give her a few more minutes then I'll summon her on my own."

"Let me go find ear plugs."

"Cute, Seaborn. Go do your task before I add you to my shit list."

"I'm going, I'm going," he muttered. The last place Sam wanted to be was on any of his wife's lists.

An hour later Mara, CJ and Abbey were sipping wine on the deck while Sam was playing with his three year old godson Noah. Donna eased her way into the chair next to CJ and sighed.

"You still haven't found Noah's off switch?" Mara asked with a grin.

"I've given up. The kid doesn't have one and Sam isn't helping. Noah was chomping at the bit to play with his Uncle Sam. He's not going to want to eat any of the healthy food but he'll want seconds on the cake."

"You talking about Sam or Noah?"CJ joked.

"Sam will eat anything that resembles food," Mara remarked.

"Where on earth is my husband?" Donna asked.

"Last time I saw him he was giving Jacob a hard time. You'd think after all these years, he'd give the kid a break," Abbey replied.

"That kid is 24. I swear I don't know where the time has gone. Jenna can't be 21 already."

"I'm afraid she is, Mar. You're going to have to stop saying that you're 29," Donna teased.

"Jacob's really going to miss her while she's at McGill."

"Not half as much as I'm going to miss her. She really wants a second degree in International Relations. It's a top notch program and she's getting credit for half of her Poli Sci courses. She'll be done in two years."

"Then it's off to Oxford to do her Master's,"CJ added.

"What?" Mara asked.

"That's what she plans on doing. We were talking about her future when we had dinner last week."

"I wonder when she was going to share this with me?"

"She said she had just finished doing the research on Master's programs and decided on Oxford. I'm sure she was going to tell you when an opening came up. It's not a random blurt out thing."

"I guess. Hey, Sam; what did you do with your shadow?"

"I left Noah with his Dad. I was getting hungry. I'm going to make myself a plate. You want one?"

"No, I'll go in a bit. Did you know that Jenna intends to do her Master's at Oxford?"

"No, but then, her future hasn't come up lately. McGill and Oxford, just like you, Mar."

"Yeah, go eat Samuel."

"Mommy?"

"Yes, my love."

"When can I open my presents?

"Sweetie, I know you are anxious but let's give everyone a chance to eat. Have you eaten anything?"

"I stole a stuffed mushroom off, Jenna."

"Your Dad just went inside; he'll help you fix a plate."

"'Kay."

Two minutes later, Noah came dashing to the table with Josh running after him.

"Noah, you were told five times not to run around near the pool! If I see you running again we are going home."

Noah seemed to ignore his mother and turned towards Mara, "Aunty Mara, I want cake."

"Noah, first you have to eat food. Matthew is going to open his presents, then we'll have cake. There is no cake if you don't eat. Let's go inside and I'll fix you a plate. You have to eat everything I give you, understand?"

"Yes."

A few minutes later Mara came out with a plate piled high with food.

"Mar, he's never going to eat all of that," Donna laughed.

"Noah is eating inside with Sam and Matty. This is for us. It's too bad Ginger's sick. She has been working on the reelection campaign and I wanted her to just chill this weekend."

"I hear Sam is polling incredibly well."

"Yeah, Maryland is very happy with him. He'll be re-elected. So I was thinking of bringing Matty up to the farmhouse next Monday."

"That'll be perfect, Mara. What about Sam and Jenna?"

"Sam's going to try to make it up by Thursday and I haven't got a clue what 'Miss Thing' is up to. I usually just assume that she'll be attached to Jacob."

"Oh, by the way, Jacob applied for a junior position at the foundation. He's overqualified for it. I wanted to talk to you about it."

"Ceeg, are there any openings in requests?"

"I don't know, but Margaret would. Want me to go find her?"

"Never mind. Margaret!" Donna yelled.

"Hi guys. Great party, Mar. The food is fantastic."

CJ pulled a chair up, "Sit, Margaret. Mara wants to know if there are any positions open in requests for Jacob."

"Not right away, but we're going to lose a few people to school in September."

"Offer him a request position starting after Labour Day. It will keep him busy while Jenna is at school."

"I'm going to go find him and give him the news," Margaret replied.

Matthew was thrilled with all his gifts and sorry to see everyone leave. Jacob helped him build his train set while Jenna was drawing with his new art set. Mara had taken a large slab of cake to eat down at the dock. Sam followed shortly after and managed to get one bite of cake off her.

"I missed Ginger."

"Did you actually miss her, Sam, or were you hoping for an extra update on how the campaign is going?"

"Mara! I missed Ginger's presence and I wanted to see my namesake. Matty pouted when he found out Sam wasn't going to be here."

"He's already lodged a complaint. He thought I could order Ryan to drive her up here. I told him that Ryan's job was to look after his sick wife and make sure Sam didn't get sick, too."

"How scared should we be that he is already trying to use our power to get what he wants?"

"Are you kidding! I'm proud of the little bugger. He didn't want to take no for an answer."

"Oy, what am I going to do with you two?"

"Be proud of your son and kiss me."

December 18 2019

"Senator Seaborn's Office."

"Marie? Where is Ginger, this is Jenna."

"No it's Susan, Ginger is on vacation already."

"Oh, can I talk to my Dad?"

"Sure, I'll connect you."

"Hey sweetie, shouldn't you be packing?" Sam asked.

"I should be but something came up."

"Jenna if you are trying to tell me you won't be home for Christmas..."

"No I'll be home but not tomorrow. I have to defend my thesis the 21st."

"I thought that was in late January?"

"It was but my advisor is leaving Oxford over the holidays and I'd have to find a new advisor. I'm not vetting the damn thing all over again. So I'm defending my Master's thesis in 3 days instead."

"So you have three days to know 30,000 words inside and out, backwards and forwards."

"Yeah so sleep is out. It will be over though and l won't have to do any work on it over the holidays. So can you let Mara know I'll be coming home the 22nd instead."

"Sure, but why don't you tell her yourself?"

"I don't want to hear the lecture on 'preparing to defend your thesis'. "

"She's read your drafts, she might be able to help you."

"I'm sure she could, but I'd like to do this one all by myself."

"I'll tell her then, but you'll owe me big time for having to listen to her when she starts ranting and raving. Good luck."

"Thanks and yeah I owe you. Love ya."

"Love you too squirt."

Sam called it a day not long after he hung up with Jenna. Mara took the news better than he expected, and yet he wasn't surprised when he heard her on the phone at 5 am. Both had agreed the 20th would be their last day of work. Matthew was looking forward to having dinner with CJ that night. Mara was pleasantly surprised to see Danny sitting down with CJ when the three of them arrived at the restaurant.

"Daniel! Merry Christmas, what brings you to DC?"

"I'm writing a scathing expose on Senator Seaborn."

"Cute, Danny. Have you met our son Matthew?"

"Pleased to meet you, Matthew, I've seen several pictures of you over the years."

"You gave CJ, the first Gail."

"Yes, I did. You've got a great memory."

"Thanks. Mom can I have a chocolate milk?"

"Sure, Danny you didn't answer me. What are you doing here?"

"I'm going to be the senior editor of the Post effective January 4th."

"Congratulation." Mara and Sam replied in unison.

"Thanks. I'll still do the odd story so feel free to let your true colours show Mara."

"Hey, I've gotten this diplomatic crap down to an art. I'm the longest serving Canadian Ambassador in history. Sorry, Danny, you aren't getting any stories about my temper."

"I could tell you stories about Mommy's temper." Matty giggled.

"Matty, it's still not too late for me to give Santa an update on your behaviour."

"She's in to blackmail, too, Danny." Matty replied with an impish grin.

"He's a troublemaker, Mara, just like you." Danny laughed.

"He is a growing concern. I try to influence him but Mara and Jenna tag team him."

"Well Spanky, I don't think Matty will be getting his butt whipped on TV by a girl."

"Ainsley still living next to you?" Danny asked.

"Yes and aren't you ever going to let that one die Ceeg."

"No, it's a classic Samuel."

"And the classics never go out of style." Mara stated with an evil grin.

After dinner, Sam and Mara took Matthew out to the mall to look for a present for Jenna. He bought her a deep pink angora sweater that Mara said she'd love. His plea for a soft pretzel fell on deaf ears and he grumbled the entire way home about how mean they both were.

Mara woke up Christmas morning from the persistent shaking of her shoulder. She tried to ignore her son for as long as possible, but he wouldn't give up. She finally opened one eye and growled at him.

"Mom it's ten. Dad said I could wake you up. I've been waiting 3 hours to open my gifts."

"Patience is a virtue Matthew Tobias Seaborn."

"On Christmas morning it's a virtue kids could care less about. Come on Mommy! Get up!"

"Go tell your Dad that he'll pay for letting you come wake me up."

"I'm not leaving till you get out of bed."

"Matthew if you don't get out now, I'm canceling Christmas."

Matthew quickly left the room and went down to the living room.

"Hey, where's your Mom?"

"She said she'd cancel Christmas if I didn't leave her alone. She also said you'd pay for sending me to wake her up."

Twenty minutes later, Mara descended the stairs and went straight to the kitchen. She had a large glass of orange juice and then sat on Sam's lap on the couch. Jenna took her time opening each gift, setting aside ribbons and decorations while Matthew tore in to each package with reckless abandon. Sam wondered if Matty was in a race to unwrap gifts while he fiddled with the package Jenna had just handed him. Inside he found a 3 picture antique frame with black and white pictures of Mara, Matthew and Jenna.

"Sweetie, I love this gift. The pictures are great and the frame is outstanding."

"I found it in a little shop in London, I picked up a pin for CJ, too."

"It's perfect for my desk. Your present from us is in the big box with snowflakes on it."

Jenna saved the crystal bead snowflake she knew Mara made and opened the box. Inside she found several DVD's with dated titles.

"I don't understand."

"We had all of your and your parents' pictures scanned and transferred to DVD so you can have a compact collection. I had my pictures of Sue from when we were growing up done for you too."

"Oh wow, this is the coolest gift ever. Thank you.. I love you both so much."

Sam gave Mara his traditional box of letters and e-mails he had sent her during the year. She had been working on scanning them all to disc in case they were ever lost. She was almost finished with the prior year's set. The project seemed daunting when she'd first started it, but it had only taken her five months to scan seventeen years' worth of letters, e-mails, mementos and doodles. Mara had given Sam a new watch since his old one had started losing time..

They spent the New Year up at Manchester and Mara cherished the quite time she had with Sam. She knew that Leo would be ringing their bell soon enough and times like this would only be a wonderful memory


End file.
